Creating a Future
by leafpool310
Summary: Harry Potter was killed at Hogwarts during the battle at the end of 7th year, leaving the wizarding world in chaos. Percy Weasley comes up with an idea to fix things - and in the process, drags along Theodore Nott and a muggleborn, Madison Reyes. *Time Travel fic*
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Madison stared at the book, trying to get the words to register in her mind, but she wasn't succeeding. No matter how hard she fought to get them out of her head, thoughts of the war kept invading, making it difficult to concentrate. How was anybody supposed to do anything anymore? She could still hear the echo of screams and the sound of her father dying.

With a groan she snapped the book shut, tossing it onto the floor and leaning back against the wall behind her mattress. The refugee home was, she knew, a safe haven for muggleborns like herself but eventually you-know-who would find out where it was, and when he did, every single person in that house was doomed to die. Painlessly, but they would die just the same.

With Harry Potter, Dumbledore, and the minister dead, it was all only a matter of time. There was no one left to fight the death eaters except small pockets of resistance, but they were slowly getting weeded out. The house she was sitting in at that moment was the last one, other than the Order, and it was almost empty.

Somewhere, in another room, was the rightful head of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, but instead the school was being run by Dolores Umbridge, the woman who'd begun the prosecution of muggleborns and half breeds. Nobody could believe when she was first given the job of helping shape the next generation of the English magical community, and many had protested, but she'd been there for four years now.

A knock on the door finally pulled her from her thoughts and she stood, opening it just a crack. Standing on the other side was Molly Weasley, the founder of the house. "Hey," Madison said, opening the door further. "Um, was there something you needed, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Yes dear, I was wondering if you might come down? Theodore Nott is here to see you."

Theodore Nott. That was a name she hadn't heard in almost two years. They'd gone to school together, him in Slytherin and her in Ravenclaw, but they'd never spoken until he'd left you-know-who's side, not even an hour before it was discovered Potter had been killed, and had to flee. She too was fleeing, and they went together. They spent a year in a cabin, just the two of them, but he'd decided that hiding wasn't for him, and had gone to rejoin the fight. She hadn't seen him since. Letters were too dangerous, and he didn't visit. Their brief romance was, it seemed, over.

"Theo?" She could only stare at the woman who'd saved dozens of muggleborn lives. "Did he say why he was here?"

The once-redheaded older woman shook her head. "No. Just that he wished to see you." She went to move past her, but Mrs. Weasley gently touched her arm. "He's changed, dear, do be prepared. He's in the dining room."

Madison walked slowly down the stairs to the first floor. The refugee home used to be the home of Remus Lupin before he'd died, and the home had passed to his son, Teddy, and Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, who had in turn given the place over to the Weasleys after her death. It was a grand home, roughly half the size of Hogwarts, but only she and three other people still lived there.

"Theo?" She entered the dining room, and saw him seated at the huge table. She couldn't help it; she grinned. "Hey."

He smiled at her sadly, his face pale. " It is good to see you," he murmured, slowly standing up with a wince. "It's been too long." He took a step in her direction and stumbled. She rushed to his side, aiding him back to his seat.

"What happened to you?" she whispered, sitting down next to him and taking both his hands in hers. "You're..."

"Different?" he let out a snort, much like his old self. He cleared his throat. "Dark magic. A curse in the same family as the Cruciatus curse, but it lingers more, stays in the body for months after. I've been sent here to recover."

"Sent by who?" She didn't know who was running the Order of the Phoenix anymore, or if even the Order still existed.

"Weasley. Ron," he added. "He's a good strategist, he and Granger both are leading now. Everyone else is either dead, here, or joined them."

"Oh," she said quietly, biting her lip. "I hadn't- I didn't know." They were silent for a moment. "Who cursed you?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

"That bastard," Maddie murmured, shaking her head slowly. She had never met Lucius Malfoy in person, but she'd heard about him, the things he had done. His name was connected to some of the more brutal muggle murders that had made the papers before you-know-who had completely taken over.

The next silence was broken by Percy Weasley entering, a heavy book in his arms. "Hello Percy."

"Evening." He dropped the book down at the table and sat across from them, looking serious. "I'm glad you're here, Theodore. Madison."

Madison raised her eyebrows. She and Percy didn't exactly get along. He'd been several years above her in school, and once he graduated, he'd joined the Ministry. She didn't think she'd exchanged ten words with him in all the years they'd lived in the same house, so it actually came as a surprise he knew her name, let alone was pleased to see her.

"Why's that?" Theo questioned, leaning forward to peer at the book. He saw the title and let out a snort. "Time travel?" He asked the practical Weasley. "Why in the name of Merlin are you reading about that?"

"I've found a spell," Percy stated, pushing up his glasses. "One that would end the war."

"A time travel spell?" Madison was shaking her head. "Percy, the past is set, we can't change it. Even with time turners, it's already happened before you make the decision to go back an hour or two. Besides, there are no time turners left."

"I said a spell, not an object." He flipped open the book and slid it across the table. Madison stared at the page, reading and rereading it. "With this spell, our souls would go back in time, not our bodies. We could stop you-know-who before he returns." He looked over at Theo. "You were with my brother searching for his horcruxes, were you not?"

Theo nodded, looking thoughtful. "I was. But we never found them all, and gave up about a year ago. Ron decided to just try and eliminate as many of the death eaters as we can before regrouping and trying again."

"Horcruxes?" Madison looked between the blonde and the redhead, confused. "What are horcruxes?"

Theo tightened his grip on her hand. "They're pieces of his soul, Maddie. With them, he can't be killed. Not permanently. It's how he was able to come back eight years ago." He looked back over at Percy. "I don't know what that has to do with - Oh."

Percy nodded, an intent look on his face. "If we do this, we'll be able to find the horcruxes he had before his return, and destroy them. He'll be able to be killed. It'll be difficult, but I think we could do it."

"Why us though?" Madison questioned. "I mean, Theo knows where they are, but why not an adult? Or... rather, someone who would be an adult then? We'll be children if we go back before he returns. At least Theo and I will be. You graduated the year before."

"If the spell fails," Percy said, pulling the book back towards him. "We could die. And the adults here are needed to keep this safe haven running. Without it, more people would die." He paused. "But if we don't even try, what then? What if the spell doesn't fail? What if we succeed? Thousands of people have died in the past five years, wizards and muggles alike, that's thousands of lives we could save. Harry, Dumbledore, my brothers, my sister-" He looked sad. Only he and Ron were left of the seven Weasley children.

"Okay, great, then why me? You two seem like you have it handled. I mean, yes, if it would work, I want to do it, but I don't understand why you want me to."

"Three heads are always better than two, right?" Percy grinned at her. "Here was my idea."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Theo interrupted. "It sounds like you've given this a bunch of thought, how'd you even know I was going to be here?"

"Trelawney." Madison made a face, and Percy sighed. "She's not as much of a fraud as people think. She foresaw you coming here."

"Okay," Madison sighed this time. "Let's hear your idea."

"If we go before you two begin at Hogwarts, you'll be able to be sorted differently." They both stared at him. "Theodore, if you ask the sorting hat to put you in Gryffindor, it will. And Madison, a muggleborn in Slytherin would go very far in helping relations."

"Are you joking?" Madison stood up, knocking her chair back and shaking her head. "I am not going into Slytherin. I'll go into Gryffindor, gladly, but I'll be killed if I'm sorted into Slytherin."

"She's right," Theo said. "Some of the older students would kill her, and make it look like an accident. Not many would risk it, mind you, but one or two might."

"If we're going to do this, let's all stick together," Madison begged. "Gryffindor, all of us. Theo would still have connections in Slytherin, a lot of the people he grew up with are sorted there, like Draco Malfoy, and that way we could help each other." She sank back into her chair. "Are we- are we actually talking about time travel?" She couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. "Are we seriously debating this?"

"I am," Percy told her. "I'm in for this, whether the two of you are or not. You know who is winning. Hell, he's won. We could stop that from happening. We could win instead."

"Okay," Madison said after a long silence. "I'll do it."

Theo let out a deep breath. "I'm in," he said finally. "You knew I would be, I'm sure, but yeah, I'll help. Problem is, my magic isn't very strong at the moment."

"We'll find a way to work around that," was Percy's response. He peered at the book. "Now, it looks like a complicated spell, but the main question is, are the two of you willing to be resorted? If so, that sets us back two years. If you'd rather stay in Slytherin and Ravenclaw, we can return to after I graduated, when the two of you are starting your fourth year. You could help Potter more that year."

"But he won't trust us," Madison pointed out. "I never once spoke to Potter while at Hogwarts. I was preoccupied with my studies and Granger annoyed me. If we want his trust, we would have to go back before we get sorted, otherwise -"

"Potter hated me. Course, I was a right git back then," Theo said, with a little grin. "I agree with Maddie. I'm prepared to be sorted into Gryffindor. My father won't like it, I'm sure, but considering I no longer give a damn what he thinks, it doesn't matter."

"So we have to go before you get sorted. We agreed?" Madison and Theo nodded. "Let's get started then."

"Wait, we're doing this now?"

"With you-know-who out there, we may not get another chance," Theo stated, looking her in the eyes. "If we want to do this, we're going to have to do it now."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

When Madison opened her eyes, the light coming in from a window to her left was nearly blinding. "Ugh," she groaned, sitting up and looking down at her wrist to check the time, but her father's watch was gone. She sat up in a panic, before the events of the past several hours rushed back into her head. Had it actually worked? She stared around the room, recognizing her childhood bedroom, all done up in a pale green. She winced. Before Hogwarts, green had been her favorite color, but after six years of running away from those wearing the color, she couldn't stand it. Around her thirteenth birthday she'd convinced her father to let her repaint, and she'd done her room up in a dark blue to match her school colors.

A knock on the door had her grabbing for her wand out of instinct. She relaxed after a second, and called for whoever it was to enter. Her dad came in, a cup of tea in one hand and the newspaper in the other. The watch she'd been wearing not even ten minutes ago was fastened tightly to his left wrist. She stared at it for a bit, before realizing her father was speaking.

"We're running late," he informed Madison, handing her the cup of tea. "We've got to be at the station in two hours, and there might be traffic. Got everything packed?"

Madison nodded, accepting the tea and taking a sip, her eyes never leaving her dad's face. She hadn't seen him in almost five years, not like this. He'd died at King's Cross right after you-know-who had come out in the open, and had murdered every muggle at the train station, and numerous wizards and witches as well. She'd been there, in the shadows, searching for him. She hadn't been able to go home, and she knew her father had no idea she wouldn't be on that train. He'd died in front of her, not long after she'd been able to find him.

Theo had saved her life, then, getting her out of there before you-know-who or his followers saw her.

She got out of bed, heading over to her closet and taking out some muggle clothes. She then glanced over at her dad, who nodded at her and left the room. Getting dressed only took a few minutes, and on the way out of the room, she paused by her dresser, her eleven year old face staring back at her. It was a strange sight, she had to admit.

She still felt like she was trapped in a dream, but it wasn't really a bad one; the chance to save her father's life was, if it worked, an amazing opportunity, and the fact Percy Weasley had come to her and Theo..

She sighed, turning away from her reflection and heading downstairs. Her father was taking her trunk into their car already. He saw her and grinned. "Feel like helping your old man?" She grinned back, taking one end of the trunk and helping push it into the back seat. She pushed her dark hair out of her face and climbed in the passenger side. "You excited?" her father questioned, putting the car into drive and pulling out of their driveway.

She nodded nervously, looking out the window at the neighborhood she'd left behind. Before going into hiding at the safe house with Molly Weasley, she'd come back here once to retrieve a picture of her dad, but the place had been burned to the ground. It wasn't much of a surprise, considering you-know-who had gotten all the muggleborn records and had had his death eaters systematically kill them and their families. Houses had burned all around the country for the past five years.

It took them an hour, but they soon reached King's Cross and Platform Nine and Three Quarters. She hesitated at the barrier, then turned to her father. "I love you, I can go on alone from here."

It was her father's turn to hesitate. "Are you sure? That professor said I could go onto the platform with you if you-"

Madison quickly shook her head, shaking the image of her father's death out of her mind. "no, I'm okay, dad. New world, and all that. I should go alone." If she saw her father on the platform-

"Alright. I love you." Father and daughter hugged, before the twenty two/eleven year old Madison ran through the barrier, eyes closed. She opened them when she heard the sound of a crowd, and stared in amazement at the Hogwarts Express.

"First year?" an older girl questioned from behind her, and she turned to see Penelope Clearwater, a fellow muggleborn and someone she had seen die. All she could do was stare, and Penelope laughed. "I assume that's a yes. You want help loading that up?" She nodded towards Madison's cart. Madison nodded eagerly, trying to look the part of nervous first year, and Penelope laughed again. "Come on."

Madison followed behind as a crowd of redheads entered the station, a dark haired boy in their midst. She waited until they were all on the train, thanked Penelope for her help, and went in search of Theodore and Percy.

Walking through the train, she peered into each compartment she passed, and finally, she saw Theo and Percy seated across from each other, seemingly engrossed in conversation. She tapped on the glass and they both looked up, seeing her. She slipped through the door and sat down next to Theo.

"So we've concluded this is not a dream," Theo began, glancing over at her. "We're actually... we did it."

"I know," Madison whispered, thinking about her father again. Before that morning, this was the place she'd last seen him. "I... What should we do first?"

"Ron - my brother, Ron - will have just met Harry Potter," Percy informed her, holding up a notebook. "I've been working on a timeline, of sorts, but I've really only done today's. I should have planned more, however-"

"So, should we go down there?" Theo questioned. Madison shook her head. "Why not?"

"We should, but not together," she explained. "Either you go first, or I do, but not both of us together. It'd be too weird."

Percy looked back up. "Weird how?"

"Theo's a pureblood. I'm a mudblood," Madison said, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't - don't use that wor

d," Percy said, before she could continue. "It's not common usage yet." Theo snorted. "Not to most people," Percy amended.

"Fine. I'm muggleborn. Still. It's a little obvious we can't be seen walking down the halls together until we've officially met."

"I'll go first," Theo stated, standing up and leaving the compartment. Madison sat across from Percy as the redhead worked on his timeline. After enough time had passed, she stood up.

"I'm going to go find them," Madison said. Percy nodded.

"Meet me on Saturday, in the room of requirement. You know where that is? Eight am." Madison bid him farewell and headed towards the back of the train, looking in the windows until she spotted Theo again. She knocked, getting their attention, before sliding the compartment door open.

"Hey," she said softly, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers, an old habit. "Do you mind if I join you guys?"

The one she knew to be Ron mumbled something with his mouth full, and she stared at him blankly until he swallowed what was in his mouth. "Sure," he repeated, gesturing to the seat next to Harry. She eyed him nervously before sitting down, holding out a hand.

"I'm Madison," she said, as he took her hand and shook it."Harry. That's Ron, and Theodore," he introduced, then held out a box to her. "Every flavor beans?"

Madison quickly shook her head. "I heard those have every favor, not just the good ones," she said, with a little laugh.

Ron nodded."My brother swears he got a bogey flavored one once!"

"Oh, you have brothers?" Madison questioned, as if she didn't know this fact. And so the four of them became engrossed in conversation about their families, until it came to be Harry's turn.

"Wish I'd known my parents," he said bitterly. "I've lived with my aunt and uncle since Voldemort killed them."

At his name, Madison froze, not breathing, waiting for the red-eyed man to appear in their compartment. She could barely think above the roar of her blood rushing through her veins.

A knock on the compartment door shocked Madison out of her stupor, which was a good thing, as Harry and Ron had begun to look at her with concern evident in their eyes. A round faced boy entered, looking like he'd been crying. Neville Longbottom. She pictured him as she'd seen him last; in the ward with his parents, tortured into insanity just like them by the same witch-Bellatrix Lastrange.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" The group shook their heads, and he let out a sob. "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"I'm sure he'll turn up eventually," Madison said in a cracked voice. She cleared her throat. "Have you tried asking one of the prefects to summon him for you? It might be possible."

"I'll try that, but if it doesn't work-" He sounded miserable.

"We'll let you know," Harry said with a friendly smile, and Neville left.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," Ron said in the following silence. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." He held up a ancient looking rat, and Madison stared at it. She'd never met Peter Pettigrew in person, but she'd read the newspaper articles and had heard from Molly how the old family rat had been a murderer in disguise. But for now, she put on a fake puzzled look. She'd discuss that with the boys later.

"Are rats allowed at Hogwarts?" she questioned, attempting to sound curious. "I mean, they aren't on the lists, are they? Mine only said I could bring an owl, a cat, or a toad. Is it different for people with magical backgrounds?"

Ron shrugged, staring at the rat. "I dunno," he said. "My brother Percy had him before me, and nobody ever said anything, I guess it's alright."

"Excuse me, has anybody seen a toad?" A bushy haired girl said, just entering without knocking. Madison stared at her open mouthed, recognizing Hermione Granger-Weasley.

"Uh, no," she said. "N- we already told him no, the boy that was here." She sighed and made to leave, and Madison knew she couldn't let her. "I'm Madison, by the way."

The brown haired girl turned back. "I'm Hermione Granger." As another round of introductions went around, Madison caught Theo's eyes. He was looking at her, concerned. She hadn't been able to help freezing when Harry had mentioned you-know-who's name, even if the man - if he was even a man at this time - wouldn't be in power for years to come. With their knowledge, hopefully he'd be stopped before he could kill anyone.

She'd tuned out their conversation and was brought back in when she heard Ron say, "Did you hear about what happened at Gringotts?" Madison looked up.

"That's the bank, isn't it?" Hermione questioned, tilting her head to the side. Ron nodded eagerly.

"Someone tried to rob a high security vault!" Ron said with a dramatic tone to his voice. "But the person who did it? He hasn't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything."

"Then why rob the place?" Hermione stated.

"They think - well, they think you-know-who's behind it," Theo said, speaking up. He caught Madison's eye again. As the conversation turned away from Gringotts and to Quidditch, Madison stood up.

"Where you going?" Theo questioned.

"I-bathroom," she said quickly. She made to leave, but the compartment door slid open, and Draco Malfoy stood there, leering into the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him. He ignored her, and she quickly sat back down.

"Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"My name's Malfoy," the blonde said, after introducing his 'bodyguards'. "Draco Malfoy." Ron let out a cough that may have been a snigger, earning a glare from Malfoy. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Ron was glaring at Malfoy, and Madison stood up, brushing past the Malfoy heir and fleeing to the end of the train.

Draco Malfoy hadn't killed anybody yet. She knew that. But he'd been responsible for the deaths of Dumbledore, George and Bill Weasley, Professors Flitwick and Sprout... All had died in the same night, the night he'd let Death eaters in the castle. None of them had died by his own hand, but later, he'd been the one to kill Fred Weasley, as well as Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape.

"Madison?" She turned to see Percy walking towards her, and she brushed away her tears. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she lied, looking down at the floor. "How.. how did you manage? With seeing all of them?" She didn't say who, but she didn't have to. Percy let out a small sigh, jerking his head towards an empty compartment.

"It was difficult. I thought I was dreaming, at first, I wasn't sure if this would work," Percy said, once they were seated inside. "Fred, George, Ginny... none of them know that I watched them die. And they can't know. Not for a long time. Not until this is all finished, until he's... until he's gone. We can't tell anyone."

"Not even a professor?" Madison questioned. "Dumbledore, maybe, or McGonagall?"

"Dumbledore was as responsible for a lot of the deaths as much as you-know-who was," the red head said darkly. "No. We don't tell them. We keep it to ourselves. I can't even tell Penny."

"Can I - Would you mind leaving me alone for awhile, Percy?" Madison asked softly. The older boy nodded, leaving the compartment, and Madison laid down on the seat, staring up at the ceiling, remembering this ride the first time round and how she had had so many hopes. Now her only hope was to live through the coming war, and bring everyone with her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Theo felt Draco's eyes on him as he spoke to Potter. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Draco had spent the majority of their first first year complaining about this moment, so he couldn't help his smirk when Potter looked down at Draco's outstretched hand.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly. Draco flushed, looking over at Theo.

"What are you doing in here with blood traitors, Nott? Come join us in our compartment, why don't you?" Theo shook his head slightly, and Draco stormed out, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels.

"What was that about?" Harry questioned, looking over at Theo. The two purebloods in the room (Weasley and Theo) exchanged glances, and Theo sighed, explaining to the other two in the room about the stigma that came with having muggle parents, muggle ancestors, or muggle friends.

"But that's not fair!" Hermione burst out, looking red in the face. "That's you saying no matter how hard I work, I won't ever be as good as you!" Even Harry looked upset. The compartment door slid open and Madison reentered, her face pale as she took a seat next to Hermione. Theo resisted the urge to hold her, ask her what was wrong, but even if he hadn't lost that right, they were too young to be in a relationship now.

"What's going on?" she asked softly, looking between Hermione's red face and Harry's upset one. "What did I miss?"

"Muggleborns aren't given as much credit as purebloods!" Hermione burst out. "We're the lowest of the low, according to those two." She nodded towards Ron and Theo.

"Oh," Madison said quietly, glancing at Theo, whose face was red. She didn't know what he was thinking, but her mind was seeing the word "mudblood" carved onto Hermione's inner arm. That word had been carved onto most of the muggleborns caught and tortured during the war. She sighed, leaning her head back against the seat. "You know," she commented, "the best thing to do is to prove them wrong. Be the best witch you can be and blow all those purebloods out of the water. Yeah?"

Hermione grinned weakly. "Yeah." The group sat in silence for a while, and before long, the train was slowing down. "Oh, Ron?' Hermione stated. "You've got dirt, on your nose. Did you know?" Ron flushed, rubbing at his nose as they all stood up to leave the train.

"First years!" a voice called, and Madison looked up at Hagrid, grinning. She'd become close to the half giant before his death at the hands of the giants on you-know-who's side, and she'd missed him. She wanted to go give him a hug, but knew she couldn't; he didn't know her yet. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Theo, who slightly shook his head.

"I know," she whispered, as they joined the crowd of first years, while the older students headed to the carriages. She followed Theo into one of the boats, Hermione and Neville joining at Hagrid's order of 'no more than four to a boat!' As they crossed the river, her mind floated back to when she had made this journey for the first time, back when she'd really been eleven.

She had been so excited then. She hadn't learned yet she'd have to work twice as hard as everyone else by virtue of her birth, nor did she know about… him, and the terror he'd cause so soon after she found out she was a witch. She didn't know about all the deaths she'd see, all the people she became friends with that were torn away from her so violently. That all came in time.

She felt someone touch her arm, and she looked over at Theo, who was looking at her with concern. She forced a smile. "I'm nervous," she said, for the sake of Hermione and Neville. She'd explain everything else later.

They reached the shore and Madison climbed out of the boat. She watched as Hagrid banged on the door, wondering in that brief moment before McGonagall opened the door, why he had to knock. McGonagall introduced herself, and led them into a room just off the Great Hall, instructing them to wait for her return. The second the door shut behind her, whispers broke out.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Madison heard Harry ask Ron, sounding a little scared.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Theo let out a snort, earning a glance.

"We put on a hat, that's all," he informed the redhead and the boy-who-lived. "The hat tells everybody which house we go to."

"Really?" asked Hermione, sounding relieved. Madison nodded.

"Yeah, an older student told me on the train. Percy, I think his name was. He was very helpful."

Before Ron (who had opened his mouth, probably to say Percy was his brother) could speak, several screams sounded in the room. Madison gripped her wand tightly in her pocket, about to whip it out, before realizing it was only ghosts. She let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and released her wand.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-" The hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, was saying.

"My dear Friar," Nearly Headless Nick stated, with a scoff, "Haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?"

"Students," Theo said helpfully.

"About to be sorted, I suppose?" The Friar stated smiling at them. Theo nodded. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

"Move along now," McGonagall said in a sharp voice, returning. "The sorting ceremony is about to start." The ghosts floated through the wall one by one. "Now, form a line, and follow me."

The first years followed McGonagall into the Great Hall, and Madison couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips. The last time she'd been here, the back wall behind where the teachers sat had been caved in, the magical ceiling just stone. They'd never figured out what magic had been used to make it quit working, but that had never been top priority.

Her attention went back to McGonagall as she bought out a stool, placed it in front of them, and then put the sorting hat on top of it. Silence filled the hall as everybody stared at the hat, until –

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall-"

The song went on, but Madison had stopped paying attention, looking around the hall. She caught Percy's gaze, who had been watching her. He gave her a small nod, which she returned, as Hannah Abbott, Neville Longbottom's future wife, was called up to the stool. She watched as people she knew in the future were sorted, silently thinking what house they'd go into before the hat announced it. Hermione and Neville both went into Gryffindor, like she knew they would, and soon it was Theo's turn. She watched as he strutted up to the stool and sat down.

It took a long time. Madison wasn't sure exactly how long as she stood with the remaining several first years, her fingers crossed. This was one of the defining moments. If the hat refused to go with their wishes and sorted him into Slytherin and her into Ravenclaw, she wasn't sure how they'd succeed with what they needed to do. She was sure they'd manage, somehow, but it would be so much harder.

Finally the hat opened its brim, and she leaned forward slightly as it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" She unclinched her hand as Theo went and sat by Percy, relief making her tremble.

Harry was a couple of people after Theo, and when his name was called, whispers filled the Great Hall, as expected. His sorting, too, took some time as it had last time, and again he went to Gryffindor, right next to Theo.

"Reyes, Madison," McGonagall called, and she slowly walked up the stool, sitting down.

"Ah! Another one!" The voice in her ear made her jump. "I see I've already sorted you, as I've already sorted Theodore Nott, and like him, you wish to be sorted into Gryffindor?"

"Yes please," she thought to the hat. "We're trying to save lives."

"Yes, he said. It is a brave thing you are doing, so I have no arguments. Well then – GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was shouted to the hall, and she took the hat off, setting it down, and walked over to the Gryffindor table amid the cheers.

Goal one – complete.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore had gotten to his feet and was beaming at the students. "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" Dumbledore sat down amid laughter and cheering. Madison snorted as she overheard Harry asking if the headmaster was mad.

"Mad?" Percy responded. "Oh, a little, but he is a genius. Are you going to eat?" Harry looked down at the table, amazement crossing his features as he saw the food had magically appeared.

Madison began to eat, starving, as she hadn't eaten anything all day. She'd been too focused on everything else. She heard Nearly headless Nick say something, and Harry respond, but she wasn't paying any attention until she heard Seamus Finnigan speak up.

"Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Madison, who remembered what it looked like, looked away as Nick pulled on his left ear, making his head swing off his neck. Looking at Theo, who had been unprepared, she saw him make a disgusted face along with the other first years. She shuddered, pushing her plate away as the conversation drifted to the Bloody Baron. Curious, she glanced over at the Slytherin table. Rumors had flown right after Harry Potter's death about a secret between the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost, but they had never been confirmed.

"I'm half and half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." Everybody laughed.

"What about you, Neville?" Ron questioned.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," Neville told them. Madison nodded; she'd met Augusta Longbottom on several occasions. "but the family thought I was all muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go."

Madison shot her head up. "Did he go to trial?" she asked interested. Everybody at the table looked at her in confusion.

"What?" Neville asked blankly.

"Hanging you out of a window is illegal," Madison said slowly, looking at the wizards around her. Theo raised his eyebrows. She'd never spent time with Neville outside of the DA, and though she knew about his parents, how they'd been aurors and were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, she'd never heard him speak about his childhood. It came as a shock.

Her statement was shrugged aside as Dumbledore stood up, and the hall went silent. "Just a few words now that we are all fed and watered." She vaguely listened as he went over the rules, how the forbidden forest was, well, forbidden, briefly mentioned Mr. Filch, quidditch tryouts, and then – "I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." A few people laughed, Harry included, but Madison stared at him intently. She knew very well what was in that corridor, and why. The question was, how did Harry learn the first time around?

"Madison!" she heard Hermione hiss, and she looked around to see everybody standing, Percy waving his arm above the crowd and calling for Gryffindor first years. She hadn't realized they'd already sung the school song, but she was grateful for that; she could barely stand the lyrics. She had always wondered what had possessed the person who'd written the damn thing?

Madison had never been to Gryffindor tower, so she followed behind the crowd very carefully, memorizing the route as she went to avoid getting lost in the future. Not that it would be a huge thing, after all, as far as anyone knew this was her first time setting foot in the castle. But even back then she's never wanted to get lost, she always wanted to know where she was.

They eventually reached the tower after a minor disturbance from Peeves. At the end of that corridor was a bigger woman in the pinkest dress Madison had ever seen, minus the outfits Dolores Umbridge had worn her fifth year. It was here Percy stopped and turned to the waiting eleven year olds.

"This is the entrance to the common room," he explained. "You get in by a password – Caput Draconis." The portrait swung forward. "Watch your step," Percy warned, as they all climbed in, where Percy directed everybody to their dorms. Madison stayed lingering in the middle of the common room with Percy and Theo, the three simply looking at each other, wanting to speak but being unable to for fear of being heard. With a sigh, they went their separate ways.

She and Theo met up in the common room the next morning, Madison quietly telling him about the plan to meet Percy that weekend in the Room of Requirement as they walked down together to the great hall. Neither of them wanted to wait that long to come up with their next plan, but they didn't have a choice. The first week of school was always frantic, and Percy, being a new prefect, wouldn't be able to get away.

"I'm a little hesitant," Theo confessed, as they entered a small room to the side of the hall. "About going to classes, I mean, and performing magic."

"Why?" Madison asked him curiously.

"That spell… the one he used." Theo stopped, looking around before continuing in a low voice. "Yesterday morning, before I left the house to go to the station, I attempted to use a packing spell. It worked, but only barely. My magic was much stronger the first time round."

"Maybe the … what we did weakened our magic?" Madison suggested. "I haven't tried a spell yet."

"Do it now," Theo urged, and she pulled out her wand, checking to make sure nobody was watching, before summoning a quill that had been dropped two feet ahead of them. The object zoomed into her waiting hand, and the two exchanged a look. "We'll see in class," he said heavily, and they left, heading to their table in the Great Hall.

It was easy to get lost at Hogwarts, between the moving staircases and trick doors, not to mention Peeves the Poltergeist, who would "help" students by pointing them in the wrong direction for their classes. Not that Madison or Theo really had a problem with this, they'd both already spent their seven years at the school, but they couldn't appear to know it too well, so they got lost just as much as the rest of them.

In Charms (after Flitwick did roll call and promptly fell off his stack of books when he realized Harry Potter was in the room) they simply discussed magical theory.

Transfiguration, however, was the first class magic was used. After her opening announcement, during which she turned her desk into a pig and back again, they were instructed to take notes, and then, turn a match into a needle. Hermione Granger succeeded first, not even ten minutes in, earning ten points for Gryffindor, and Madison shortly followed, having wanted to make sure she wasn't the first to perform the spell.

She was heavily disappointed in defense against the dark arts. She had known, of course, how bad Quirrel's class would be, and why, but it still bugged her. You-Know-Who had made it inside the school, and the great and powerful Dumbledore hadn't even realized. Oh, she was sure he suspected, but did he ever know for sure before Harry had killed the man?

But the class she'd been looking forward to the most was potions. In her time, she'd been extremely good at the art, as Snape had always called it, and being in Ravenclaw, she hadn't received the sharp edge of his tongue. But being in Gryffindor this time around, she knew that would change. She just hadn't realized how bad the first class would be.

He started by taking roll call, giving Madison and Theo a sharp glance as he saw them sitting at the same table, before looking up from the parchment at Harry's intent gaze. "Harry Potter – our new celebrity." Madison heard Draco's snort but ignored him as Snape continued listing off students' names. When he finished, he set the parchment down on his desk and folded his arms. "You are here," he began in a soft but commanding tone, "to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic." Madison listened as he went off on the speech that she'd always assumed he gave every year, but still gave a start when he snapped out "Potter" quite suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"I don't know sir," Harry said quietly.

"Fame clearly isn't everything. Let's try again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know sir," Harry repeated.

"Did you think you wouldn't open a book before coming, Potter?" Silence filled the dungeon. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know," Harry said for the third time. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" Madison snorted, turning it into a cough as Theo nudged her with his foot.

"Sit down," Snape snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of living death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" Snape proceeded to take a point from Gryffindor, and then continued the lesson.

The potion to cure boils was an easy one, and one Madison had perfected during the course of this year, so she wasn't completely concentrating on hers and Theo's cauldron when Snape swept by them and Theo put in the porcupine quills before she'd taken it off the fire.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled at Theo after vanishing the potion before it could explode, who flinched back in surprise. "You – Reyes – why weren't you paying attention? Five points from Gryffindor." Madison opened her mouth in shock and would have protested, but the potions master swept away, leaving her almost in tears.

"Theo, you know that potion," she whispered as they walked out of the dungeons an hour later. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "I was trying to prevent Longbottom from doing it – he did that in our first lesson, but Snape wasn't right there to stop it from exploding and he got his arm covered in boils. I didn't know he would snap like that, or blame you, for that matter."

"Oh," she said quietly.

The very next morning, Madison snuck out of the dorm early and headed to the room of requirement, determined to get some reading done before Theo and Percy joined her, but there was no such luck; the two of them were already waiting.

"It's only six," she said in surprise. "We agreed to meet at eight, didn't we?"

"We did," Percy told her, "but I couldn't sleep. I've been here all night, working on homework and a list of things we need to leave alone." She sat down at the table in the middle of the room next to Theo, and slid the list across to her.

1\. Let Potter and his friends find the Sorcerer's Stone – they did this the first time, I don't want to mess with their success

2\. Let Ginny open the chamber of secrets.

3\. Figure out how Black escaped from Azkaban and how Pettigrew got to You-know-Who

4\. Find Horcruxes before third task begins

"Is this it?" she asked him, looking up. Percy nodded.

"I have a list of specifics to change, but I thought that needed to be taken care of first."

"Why are we letting your sister open the chamber of secrets?" Theo questioned. "You said you'd explain when Madison got here."

Percy sighed. "Thing is, Ginny and Harry were so happy together before Harry died. If Harry had never saved her life, then I don't know if they would ever have begun dating. I want my little sister to be happy." His tone was mournful, and Madison remembered how Ginny had committed suicide soon after learning Harry'd been killed. "Nobody died that year, so it was fairly harmless, plus Harry himself destroyed a horcrux."

"Okay. But where do we come in for this year?" She waved the list around. "The whole point of us being in Gryffindor was to gain Harry's trust, wasn't it? So what, we just pull him aside, tell him that he's the chosen one and hope he doesn't have us sent to St. Mungos?"

"Not exactly, no," Percy said with a little laugh. "No, I thought you could guide him. He figured everything out on his own, eventually."

"Then what was the point?" Theo said frustrated. "I've become no better than a squib so we can watch Harry prance around and do exactly what happened last time?"

"What do you mean, you're no better than a squib?" Percy demanded. "I thought your magic would have been getting better?"

"He can't perform spells, Percy," Madison said, glancing over at Theo, whose nails were digging deep into his palms with anger. "He manages some, but they're very weak, and others he can't do at all. We don't know why, but it has something to do with the spell Lucius Malfoy used on him in the future, because my magic is just fine."

"But how would it have an effect here?" Percy was dumbfounded. "That doesn't make sense!"

"I know," Theo hissed, standing up abruptly and going to the wall, looking up at one of the paintings. "I'd do research, but it was dark magic and won't be in any book we can get our hands on."

"We'll figure it out, Theo," Madison said gently. "We will."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

When the notice went up stating that flying lessons would be starting that Thursday, and that the first year Gryffindors would be paired with the first year Slytherins, Madison was not happy.

"I hate flying," she groaned to Percy and Theo Monday evening, during dinner, though the three of them had called a house elf – Dwinky – to bring them their food so they could stay in the Room of Requirement and not go down to the Great Hall. "I fell off once. Plus heights are awful."

"You fell off your broom once?" Percy asked curiously, and Madison nodded glumly. Theo began laughing, and Madison shot him a glare. "What am I missing here?"

"It was during the war, and it wasn't funny, Theodore Nott!" Madison snapped. "We were fleeing death eaters, Theo and I were sharing a broom and I fell off. He had to catch me, and I accidentally knocked the death eater off his broom with my heel, when it flew off my foot." Percy struggled to keep a straight face and failed, earning a pillow to the gut. "It really isn't funny. I could have died, you know."

"Yes, you could have, but you didn't, and the fact you killed a death eater with your shoe is pretty damn hilarious," Theo informed her, also earning a pillow to the gut.

"Oh shut up you two," she mumbled, taking a sip of tea and sliding off her chair onto the carpet, grabbing a book that had appeared on the bookshelf nearby.

"What's that?" Percy asked curiously, and she held the title up. "Nicholas Flamel. That's random," he commented.

She shrugged. "It can't hurt to be prepared, can it?"

Lunch Thursday, Madison was sitting at the Gryffindor table when an owl swooped in and dropped something in Neville's outstretched hands. He unwrapped the package and stared at the glass ball.

"It's a rememberall!" Madison said, staring.

"That's right. Gran knows I forget things, this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – "

"Your robes," Madison informed him. "You're not wearing your robes." Neville looked up at her gratefully as Draco Malfoy snatched the rememberall out of his hand.

"Hey!" Madison snapped, as Harry and Ron jumped to their feet, but McGonagall had seen and was there in a flash.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, professor," Neville told her.

"Just looking," Draco scowled, dropping it back down on the table and walking away with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. Madison shook her head and sighed.

"Those three," she murmured, standing up. "I'll see you guys at the lesson," she told Harry, Ron and the others. Then she went off to be by herself.

Later that afternoon, Madison and Theo met up by the front steps to head to the flying lesson. "It's going to be an interesting one," Theo muttered to her as they went. "Don't interfere, Harry needs the quidditch experience that will result from this." Madison looked at him curiously but said nothing as they reached the grouping of Slytherin and Gryffindor students. Madame Hooch arrived shortly after.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." The class did as they were told, Madison nervously standing near Theo, her hands shaking. "Stick your right hand over your broom and say 'UP'"

The air was filled with the word 'up' as Madison stared down at the broom. Her mind wandered..

"Madison!" Theo was yelling somewhere in front of her as colorful flashes shot through the air around them. "I can't use any spells, do something!"

She struggled to pull out her wand; this was a difficult feet, being a very long way from the ground, but she managed, shooting a stunning spell behind them. It missed, striking the wall of a building. "Damn!"

"Try again!" Theo shouted.

She shot another stunning spell, nearly losing her grip on her wand. She did lose her grip on the broom and let out a scream, falling off the broom, one of her boots that she'd forgotten to tie the lace flying off and hitting a death eater below them in the face. He let out a roar, also losing his grip on his broom and falling; but there wasn't very far to fall – he became impaled on a church steeple. She heard Theo let out a swear, maneuvering the broom to her and grabbing her wrist.

"Swing on!" He shouted above the roar of the wind and spells. Grunting, she did her best, and managed to get her right leg back on the broom. She sat there, panting, as Theo grinned back at her. "You just killed a death eater with a shoe. That was awesome." She glared.

"Maddie?" Theo's voice and small nudge to the rib brought her to the present in time to hear Hooch lecturing Malfoy on the proper way to grip a broom.

"Now, when I blow my whistle you kick off from the ground, hard," Hooch stated. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two- " Poor Neville. The poor boy was so nervous, pushed off before the whistle could be blown. "Come back, boy!" Hooch shouted, but Neville didn't know how; he kept going on, up, and then he was coming down. He hit the ground with a nasty crack. "Broken wrist," Hooch muttered. "Come on, it's all right. Up you get." She turned to the waiting students. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

"Poor Neville," Madison murmured, watching Hooch escort the pale faced boy to the castle. Malfoy burst into laughter and she turned to glare at him.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins joined in, and Madison's nails bit into her skin as she clenched her fists.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Pavarti Patil snapped.

"Sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy sneered. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Pavarti."

"Look!" Malfoy interrupted, yanking something up off the grass. It glittered in the sun, and she recognized Neville's Remembrall. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

Madison took a step forward but Theo nudged her, shaking his head. She remembered he'd said not to interfere.

"Give that here, Malfoy," Potter murmured. Everyone stopped talking, watching the two stare at each other. Malfoy sneered again.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about up a tree?" He leapt on his broomstick and took off as Potter snapped at him to give it back. "Come and get it, Potter!"

"No!" Granger hissed. "Madame Hooch told us not to move, you'll get us all in trouble!" Potter ignored her, mounting his own broom and taking off in the air behind Malfoy.

Madison watched the events unfold; as Potter and Malfoy taunted each other, and then Malfoy threw the Remembrall in the air, and then Potter catching the thing, landing neatly on the grass as McGonagall raced across the grounds.

"HARRY POTTER! Never in all my time at Hogwarts… How dare you – might have broken your neck-"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor," Pavarti tried to protest.

"Be quiet, Miss Patil."

"But Professor –"

"No, Miss Reyes. Potter, follow me, now."

Harry Potter was escorted away, Malfoy sneering. Now that Potter was gone, Madison turned on him, enraged.

"How could you do that?" She demanded, trembling from anger. "He could really have gotten hurt!"

"Oh, do you care for scarhead, Reyes?" Malfoy sneered. Madison stood there for a second, glaring, before turning around and taking off towards the castle.

Theo found her in the Room of requirement an hour later. "You've gotten ten points taken away from Gryffindor," He informed her. "For leaving a class."

She shrugged. "I'll talk to Hooch later. Tell her I'm not going to finish the class. You can do that, you know. Flying isn't a requirement for graduation. I'll just never be able to join the quidditch team, but I wasn't going to anyway." Theo didn't respond, staring at the cover to her book. Wizards turn squib.

"Why are you reading that?" He whispered.

"I'm trying to find out if what's happening with you has happened to anyone else," she said. "I'm looking for the spell Lucius Malfoy used on you, but I can't find it unless you could tell me the name of it?"

"I don't know," Theo stated. "The pain could be caused by the magic draining – "

"You're still in pain." It was a statement, not a question. Madison stared at Theo until he nodded.

"When I use magic," He confessed. "I thought it would go away with time, but it's just increasing."

"I think we should go to Dumbledore," Madison said, putting her book down and looking over at him. "I know you and Percy didn't want to, but he's a genius. Maybe he could help."

"Or he could modify our memories," Percy stated from the door. Madison jumped. "I've been here awhile," he said, walking over and sitting down next to Theo in a chair that appeared. "Dumbledore – he's wise, but I'm not sure if he'll let us do what we have to do."

"This could kill Theo," Madison told him, gesturing to the book sitting on the table in the middle of them. "There are wizards who've had their magic taken away and they died. It's a huge shock to the body."

"But those were older wizards," Percy said, picking up the book and flipping through it. "Theo's young, he'd survive-"

"But be a muggle, and in intense pain!" Madison snatched the book from him. "I'm going to Dumbledore. I'd like to see you two stop me." She glared at them each in turn. They exchanged a glance, and Theo finally sighed.

"Percy, I'm with Madison. I can't go on like this, I need to figure it out, figure out what's wrong with me."

Percy finally caved.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

On their way to Dumbledore's office, the group ran into Professor McGonagall, who looked happier than Madison had ever seen her. She turned to the boys.

"McGonagall should know too," she said in a low voice. The two looked at each other and nodded, agreeing instantly. Madison turned to the professor, who had asked them what they were up to. "Professor, could you walk with us to the Headmaster's office? We'd like to speak with him about something important."

"And you as well, Professor," Percy added, bowing his head in respect. McGonagall eyed them curiously, but eventually gestured for them to follow her. They reached the gargoyle that guarded his office. McGonagall gazed at the three students before murmuring the password quietly. The gargoyle moved aside, and they headed up the stairs. McGonagall knocked quietly, and they were bid entry.

Sitting behind the oak desk was Dumbledore, who looked mildly surprised to see the assembled group. "Good evening," he said. "Lemon drop?" The four shook their heads. McGonagall went off to stand by Dumbledore, who conjured two more chairs.

The three time travelers took their seats, exchanging a glance. None of them knew how they were to begin, but they were saved by McGonagall.

"They wished to tell us something important," she told Dumbledore, who raised his eyebrows. "I believe it has something to do with young Mr. Nott's magic."

Madison's mouth dropped open in surprise, glancing over at Theo, who looked grim. She supposed the Professors noticing shouldn't really have come as a shock. "Yes, Professor," she said finally. "That's… part of it."

"I was attacked four months ago," Theo said suddenly. "By a dark curse. I don't know what it was, but it drained my magic and caused …"

"Immense pain," Dumbledore finished, leaning forward. "I've heard of this spell, it's a very dark curse that attaches itself to the very soul, but how did you encounter it? Only Voldemort's followers knew the incantation." Madison flinched, earning a single raised eyebrow. "Miss Reyes, there's nothing to fear about a name. He is long gone."

"No he isn't," Percy stated, speaking for the first time, gaining both Dumbledore and McGonagall's attention. "In fact, he'll be spotted at the end of this school year, next year, and the year following my graduation."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "Not your last year?"

"No," Madison said, looking him dead in the eye. "That's the year Sirius Black, an innocent man, by the way, will escape from Azkaban and go after Peter Pettigrew."

Her statement left both professors in shock. "How would you know this?" McGonagall said after a long pause.

"Because we've lived it," Theo stated. "We were there. Well, not there, exactly. I was in Slytherin and Madison was in Ravenclaw, so we weren't with Potter and his friends, but we heard all the stories after Potter died." McGonagall paled.

"We're from the year 2002," Percy said. "Voldemort- it's okay, Madison, it's not cursed yet- has taken over. We were living in the last resistance house, run by my mother and you, Professor-" He nodded at McGonagall. "- and my brother Ronald and his wife, Hermione, were running the Order of the Phoenix."

"What was left of it, anyway," Madison muttered. Percy nodded in agreement.

"Where was I?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Madison didn't know whether he actually believed them or was indulging them, but she answered anyway.

"You died, at the end of my sixth year. You were killed by Professor Snape on your own orders, so he could continue to spy and Draco Malfoy wouldn't have your blood on his hands."

"I-" McGonagall was shaking and pale, and she sank into a chair. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?" Madison nodded sadly. "How did – what happened to Potter?"

"He was killed by Voldemort," Theo whispered. "He never came back to school. Neither did Weasley – Ron, I mean, or Granger. It was too dangerous. The ministry had been taken over and there was a manhunt for him and all the muggleborns."

"I went back, but I hid in the room of requirement all year," Madison said softly.

"At the end of the year, Potter suddenly showed up, and there was a huge battle – Hogwarts was partially destroyed – and Potter died. I'm not sure what happened there," Percy said, glancing over at Theo. "Do you?"

"Voldemort hit him with the killing curse," Theo said. "He- Voldemort – made Narcissa Malfoy go make sure he was dead, but he wasn't. So Voldemort hit him with another killing curse, and that was it."

"You-know-who sent death eaters to King's Cross," Madison said, looking up at McGonagall, trying to keep from crying. "He had all the muggles there killed." A tear leaked out. "My father was there, because he didn't know there was no train. The Creeveys were all murdered-"

"Colin doesn't come until next year," Percy reminded her, and she nodded.

"That's right, he's only ten right now," she said thoughtfully.

"How did you manage it?" Dumbledore questioned, leaning forward. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Because the damned curse followed me back," Theo snapped angrily. "I can barely use magic and I don't know why." He sounded frustrated, and Madison took his hand gently, rubbing the back of it absentmindedly. This wasn't overlooked by Percy, who had a small smile on his face as he turned back to the headmaster.

"We found an ancient spell in Sirius Black's family home," he explained. "Trelawney.. Well, there was a prophecy, and I knew we had to do it. Everyone – almost everyone was dead. There was no hope for Hogwarts, it had been taken over, the Ministry was Voldemort's, hundreds of muggleborns were dead and even more muggles, not to mention all the wizards who opposed Voldemort who were either held captive and tortured or murdered. We just – the future needed to be changed."

"I'll do some research on that spell. I know a few people who could help out," Dumbledore stated. "We'll figure out something for you, Mr. Nott. For now, you three should run off to your dorms. We'll discuss this more at a later time, I think Professor McGonagall and I need to discuss this between ourselves." The transfiguration teacher nodded slowly.

"Have a good night then, Professor," Madison said, standing and following the boys out.

"That went well," Percy commented, as they reached the room of requirement again. "I mean, I think they believe us, we didn't get our memories wiped, and they may be able to help you." He nodded at Theo.

"I hope so," The other boy said quietly, taking a seat in an armchair and pulling his feet up with him. Madison nodded, sitting down on a cushion. "Because right now, I'm completely useless."

"You aren't useless," Madison snapped at him. "Until we figure out a way to help you, you can help us with research." As she spoke, a huge stack of books appeared beside her. At Percy's curious gaze, she picked one up and tossed it to him. "We need to read up on horcruxes. I know Ron told you what they were and how to destroy them, but it's not like we have access to basilisk venom, and I know we don't have control over fiendfyre. Even if we did I wouldn't use it."

"Definitely not," Percy agreed, his voice dark as they looked around the room, where the fiendfyre that had killed hundreds of fleeing students had been cast.

"So," Madison continued, tossing another book at Theo before taking one herself. "We must figure out another way to get rid of them. A safer way, preferably."

They stayed in the room of requirement until curfew, and then they trotted up to their separate dorms, going to bed early. Madison's mind was full of swirling thoughts, and she had just managed to drift off into sleep when the door banged open and Hermione Granger stormed in.

"Hermione?" she whispered, not wanting to wake Lavender or Pavarti. "It's-" she squinted at her watch in the dark. "-two in the morning, where've you been?"

"Out," the bushy haired girl said sharply, climbing into bed.

"Fine," Madison said. "I'll let McGonagall know in the morning." She went to turn over on her side

"Why would you do that?" Hermione demanded, her voice shrill. Lavender let out a mumble and turned over in her bed.

"As far as I know you were in the third floor corridor," Madison said, turning back to look at her. Hermione's eyes widened, and Madison gasped. "You were, weren't you?"

"It was an accident," Hermione whispered frantically. "I was trying to stop Harry and Ron from going to meet Malfoy, but Malfoy wasn't even there, Filch was, and then Peeves – and the door was locked, but I didn't think anything of it, and then-"

"Hermione, slow down," Madison said quietly. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Hermione let out a deep breath. "Malfoy challenged Harry and Ron to a wizard's duel in the trophy room at midnight," she began. "So I waited downstairs for them, and I tried to convince them not to go, but I got stuck outside because the Fat Lady had gone, so I went with them. Neville too, because he couldn't remember the password to get in. Malfoy wasn't there, Filch turned up, I assume Malfoy turned us in, so we ran, but we ran into Peeves, who yelled out we were there. The door was the only place to go, we were about to get caught, so I used alohomora to get in. I didn't know it was the third floor corridor because we went down a different passageway, but I found out why it's forbidden, there's a massive three headed dog there guarding a trap door." Hermione stopped talking, catching her breath, leaving Madison staring at her in amazement. So that was how they had found out where the sorcerer's stone was hidden. "You won't tell, will you?" Hermione pleaded.

"No," Madison said finally, giving her a smile. "I won't tell."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Before Madison knew it, it was almost Halloween, and the three of them were no closer to figuring out their problems. Theo still couldn't use magic without it hurting; now that Madison knew what was going on, she had learned when to spot when the pain was bad, and had taken to slipping him a pain potion. Madison was no closer to befriending Harry and Ron, although she and Hermione had become unlikely friends. Or maybe it wasn't so unlikely – Hermione confessed that the sorting hat had wanted to put her in Ravenclaw, and Madison was, of course, originally a Ravenclaw.

Percy's own personal goal, though, had been to get Penelope Clearwater to date him, and so far, she'd had three boyfriends, and none of them were him. Madison had to keep reminding him that they had dated in the future and would date again, all he had to do was give Penelope some time. Percy was, after all, ten years older than the poor girl. Not that she knew that.

They'd had three separate meetings with both Dumbledore and McGonagall, during which they detailed more of the future to them. It was during one of these meetings that Madison got a small shock.

"Harry will need to go through with the Triwizard tournament," Percy had said, holding up his little muggle notebook. "It's how Voldemort returns, we can't mess with that, but I do want to save Oliver's boyfriend."

"Oliver's… huh?" Madison questioned, looking up from her parchment with little notes. "Who's Oliver's boyfriend?"

"Diggory," Theo piped up. Percy narrowed his eyes.

"How did you know that?"

Theo shrugged. "Caught them in a broom closet once in my third year, it was a guess."

"Diggory?" Madison raised her eyebrows, looking between the two while Dumbledore watched on in amusement. "Not – Cedric Diggory? Hogwarts champion, very much in love with Cho Chang Cedric Diggory?" Percy nodded. "Oh. Okay. So Cho was… was his disguise?"

"Being gay in the wizarding world, Miss. Reyes, is much worse than being gay in the muggle one," Dumbledore explained gently. "I'm assuming Mr. Diggory and Mr. Wood are hiding their relationship, much as I once had to do."

"You… had…" Madison dropped her head on the desk. "Of course," she mumbled, before lifting it. "Okay, so we figure out a way to keep Cedric from grabbing the portkey with Harry."

They'd moved on after that.

They had also discussed releasing Sirius Black early, but they couldn't figure out a way without sending Peter Pettigrew back to his master sooner, and that was something they needed to avoid, because the consequences of that were too high.

"What if we have him – Pettigrew- caught and sent to Azkaban, use the imperius curse on him so he'll escape at the right time, and go back to Voldemort then?" Theo had suggested, but the idea was vetoed due to the unforgivable curse.

"I'll just have to figure out a way to be there the night Lupin enables Pettigrew's escape," Percy said finally. "So they'll be able to use my memories."

"I never understood that," Madison stated. "Why couldn't they have used Harry's or Ron's or Hermione's memories to prove Pettigrew was alive and Black was innocent?"

"Because you can't use the memories of a minor in court," Percy explained. "That's why I'll have to be there. I'll be of age by then."

"If Snape wasn't still so bitter they could have used his, then?" Madison asked, earning a look from Dumbledore. "I understand the man has gone through a lot," she added. "But he was told time and again that Black was innocent, and he still made it to where he couldn't be cleared of the charges."

"Sirius and Severus go back a long time," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "And there were – problems – that arose when they were here in school, and Severus was nearly killed because of it. He has good reason to dislike Sirius, but his hatred does indeed cloud his thoughts."

They still hadn't reached a decision, and had tabled the topic for the time being.

So it was now the week of Halloween. Ron and Harry weren't talking to Hermione, over something or another (Madison wasn't sure, Hermione hadn't been clear. Something about a broom?) but she knew there was something that soon would make them friends; in her first year, she'd noticed Hermione hanging out with the boys very soon after Halloween.

"It's the troll," Percy explained, as they sat in the library under the guise of him helping her with her homework. "Ron makes a snide comment, Hermione hides in the girls bathroom during the feast, and the troll gets let in. Harry and Ron go rescue her."

"I guess that would make anyone friends," Madison commented, shoving the potions book she'd been flipping through back on the shelf and grabbing another. "The troll could have killed her."

"Yeah." Percy stretched, yawning. "It's late, and you have charms in the morning. You should go get sleep."

"I can do the spell we're learning tomorrow in my sleep," she muttered, but put the book she had just grabbed back and yanking her bag up off the floor. "I'll see you later. Percy told her goodbye, and she swung her bag over her shoulder and made her way up to the Gryffindor common room. She'd gone up one flight of stairs when she heard Theo's voice.

"Come on, just let me by, Vince." She peered around the corner and saw Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy standing in front of Theo, Crabbe blocking his way.

"Why, what's wrong, blood traitor?" Malfoy hissed, his wand out. "You're just as bad as the rest of them, hanging out with those mudbloods, Granger and Reyes. Not to mention that Weasley?"

"That's none of your business, Draco," Theo snapped, trying to get by Crabbe. The bigger boy shoved Theo back, and, angry, he pulled his wand out and pointed it at Malfoy. "Don't make me curse you."

Malfoy just laughed. "I've seen your magic in class, Nott, you're worse than the mudbloods, crying every time you use a spell."

Theo drew in a sharp breath, preparing to curse him, and Madison hurried up, her own wand out. "I've told a prefect," she said. "He's gone to go get a teacher, and if you don't let us by you'll be in trouble." Malfoy sneered, but he gestured for Crabbe to move, and the two time travelers went up a couple flights of stairs, stopping on the fifth floor.

"You didn't have to do that," Theo murmured. "I could've-"

Madison stopped walking and turned to him. "Could have what, Theo? Fought back?"

"Yes!"

"Fine," She snapped. "I'll leave you alone next time." She whirled around and hurried away from him.

When she arrived back in Gryffindor tower, she noted Ron and Harry huddled in a corner, discussing something in low voices. She shook her head with a sigh, and went up to her dorm.

She guessed what they were talking about, but without their friendship she couldn't just join in their conversation. Their plan to befriend the trio hadn't worked, and while it hadn't yet failed, she was afraid it was too late for them to recover. They had been too focused on Theo's issue with his magic.

Madison went to bed early that night, and the next morning, she got up early and went straight down to breakfast, hoping Theo wouldn't already be in the great hall, but when she walked in, she spotted him at the Gryffindor table, talking quietly to Percy. He spotted Madison.

"I didn't want to give you a chance to avoid me," he started. "And I wanted to apologize for last night. I know… I know you were just trying to help me, and I appreciate it. I do." Madison crossed her arms. "Look," Theo said quietly. "My magic – I don't think I'll ever get it back. Which means… I will need your help. Because I can't fight."

Madison sighed. "Theo, we'll figure it out. I know we will. Have some faith?" Theo just smiled sadly. "You ready for charms?"

"Levitation charm? Why not?" Madison snorted, remembering a night they'd spent in the cabin three years ago- seven years in the future.

"Just bring the tree down!" Madison called, standing in the living room with silver ornaments in boxes everywhere. She'd been going through the storage closet when she found them, and had become super excited.

"The damn thing is too heavy!" Theo called back, coming to stand in the doorway with his arms crossed. Madison raised her eyebrows at him, and he muttered something under his breath, stomping back outside into the snow.

Humming, she turned back to the boxes of decorations, pulling two stockings out and hanging them up on the fireplace.

"Are you absolutely sure I can't use magic?" Theo was back, looking angry. "This is ridiculous. We've lived here almost six months, I think they've stopped looking for us, don't you?"

"No."

Theo growled. "I'm doing it anyway. Wingardium leviosa!" The tree floated into the living room, settling down on the stand Madison had already put up. Theo then turned to Madison, eyebrows raised. "There. Nobody's burst the door open yet, have they?"

Madison let out a sigh. "If they come and kill us, I'm murdering you," she said seriously. "Now. Lights?"

"We had fun back then," Madison said, smiling at Theo. He smiled back as Hermione Granger slammed down beside them. "What's wrong?" Madison questioned.

"It's those two…. Two…"

"Ron and Harry?" Theo asked. Hermione nodded, fuming.

"They're still refusing to talk to me! Over a broomstick!"

"They're idiots," Theo informed her. "Quidditch comes first to them. I'm sure this isn't the first time they won't talk to you over a broom." He caught Madison's eye, who shrugged. She remembered briefly that the three of them had had a falling out sometime during their third year, but she'd never been clear on what the broom he'd received for Christmas had to do with it. Theo, who had worked closely with Ron and Hermione in the Order would probably have had a better idea. She resolved to ask him what he meant later as they all stood up and headed towards the charm classroom.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" called Flitwick, perched on top his stack of books. Madison tuned him out; after all, she'd known how to cast this particular spell for many years. Instead, she watched the others attempt it.

Harry and Seamus were paired together, with neither having much luck. In fact, poor Seamus managed to catch their feather on fire and they'd had to ask Flitwick for a new one.

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck. He was shouting the spell, waving his arms around. Madison shook her head slightly and went to correct him, but Hermione beat her to it.

"You're saying it wrong," she said matter of factly. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it then, if you're so clever," Ron snapped at her. Madison snorted, earning a glare.

Hermione, though, shot Ron a dark look, rolled up her sleeves, flicked her wand and said, "Wingardium leviosa." Their feather rose up into the air and Hermione gave Ron a smug look.

"Oh well done!" Flitwick cried happily. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a bad mood for the rest of the lesson, and as they left the classroom, Madison overheard him speaking to Harry.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he was saying. "She's a nightmare, honestly." Hermione knocked into Harry on her way past, and Madison could see she was in tears. She turned on Ron.

"Hermione's my friend, you prat," she snapped. "You're the nightmare!"

Hermione wasn't in their next class, and Madison didn't see her for the rest of the afternoon. She mentioned this to Theo before dinner when they were in the room of requirement, who shrugged it off. "But what about the troll?" she whispered, then remembered. "Oh… So I can't go find her, can I?" Theo shook his head, and Madison groaned. "Alright. She's going to be pissed, though." Theo snorted. "What?"

"Just you." He smiled at her as Percy entered. The redhead coughed, gaining their attention.

"Am I interrupting something?" Madison quickly shook her head, going back to the book she'd been reading. "Uh huh…" Percy said slowly, taking his normal seat. "Are you two going to dinner?"

"I'm not," Madison said with a little sigh. "I figured I'd wait up in the common room for Hermione. See if she'll speak to me after I basically ignored her in her troubled time."

"She's not going to be mad at you," Percy informed her.

"I'm her friend," Madison said, frustrated. "I'm supposed to be there for her, but I wasn't. If she knew why I couldn't be there-"

"So you're going to tell her that she needs to become friends with Harry and Ron to stop you-know-who?" Percy questioned. Madison sadly shook her head. "Very well then. We'll have to get by without that, Madison. She'll forgive you. She always forgave Ron and he was much worse a friend than you. Just tell her you were giving her space, and didn't know about the troll."

Madison stood, sticking the book back on the shelf. "I'm not finding anything here, Theo," she said. "So I'm going to go ahead and go to the common room. It's almost dinner time, so it shouldn't be too much later before everyone gets there."

"Right." Theo stated, looking up at her. "I'll be heading up shortly, I'm just going to finish this first." He raised the book that he was holding.

"And I," Percy stated, also rising, "will be heading down to dinner. As a prefect, I will be needed." They all said their farewells, and split; Theo staying, Madison going up to the tower, and Percy heading downstairs.

Madison couldn't remember how long into the Halloween feast the Quirrell had come running into the great hall, but wasn't long, though; less than an hour later Percy entered, followed by most of Gryffindor, Theo tagging behind.

"What happened?" Madison asked Neville quietly. The poor boy was shaking.

"A troll got in," he whispered. "Quirrell came running in the hall in the middle of the feast, screaming about the troll, and then he passed out." Neville shuddered. "It was awful."

"Where's Hermione?" Madison asked. Lavender, who was passing, shrugged.

"Last I heard she was crying in one of the bathrooms. Weasley upset her pretty badly." Madison felt guilty as she went over and sat down in one of the corners, Theo joining her. Not long after, Hermione entered and spotted her.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey." Madison paused. "You okay? I just heard you've been in the bathroom all day."

"Yeah, I'm alright now." Hermione gave her a small smile as the portrait hole opened again and Harry and Ron climbed in. "I should go say thanks," she said quietly, and walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"There's got to be an answer somewhere!" Madison snapped, slamming the book she'd been struggling to read shut. Percy, sitting next to her, jumped. "This is frustrating! Surely someone somewhere was hit by this curse. Other than Theo, I mean."

The boy in particular wasn't there; he'd gone off to hang out with Ron, Hermione, and Harry, who had become friends with Madison, and by extension, him. Madison had chosen to study this evening, or that's what she'd told them. Percy had met her in the room, as they were now calling it, trying to find a solution for Theo and his magic.

But there wasn't one. Madison had checked dozens of books by now, she was sure, and none of them held an answer. One had come close; it talked of a young boy who had been hit by a spell and had his magic drain from him, but he'd died from the shock. There had been no reason for the researchers to attempt to find a cure, as he'd died, and they hadn't thought the spell would come into play later, as that had been months after you-know-who had vanished.

"How about this?" Percy said, holding up the book he was reading. "The Exhaurire Magia spell, incantation exhaurire, is an ancient curse meant to turn wizards and witches into muggles." Madison had slumped down into her chair, but at Percy's words, quickly sat up. "I'm paraphrasing here, but it basically says that there were instances, back during the medieval times, where wizards would use this spell on each other to keep from getting killed. Unfortunately, it killed most of them. Only the magically strong survived, and were able to use a portion of their magic after."

"What happened to them?"

"It caused them pain every time they held their wand." Percy looked up and caught Madison's eye. "There were rituals to give them their magic back, to make it as strong as it was before, but the rituals caused even more pain and death, in some cases."

"Damn it," Madison sighed. "So we found the answer. We just can't use it. Damn it."

Percy set the book he'd been reading on the table beside him and covered his face with his hands. "We were so close," he murmured. "So freaking close."

"You do know if we tell Theo about this ritual he's going to want to use it," Madison said slowly, causing Percy to look up. "He wants his magic back. He doesn't feel like he can help us without it."

"That's ridiculous," Percy groaned. "Theo's just as clever as Hermione, maybe even more so with the extra years we have. We don't need his magic, we just need his brain."

"He doesn't see it like that." Madison stood up. "I can't deal with this right now. We can't tell Theo we found the answer just yet. We can't. We need to wait until this summer, at least."

"It's November, Madison. You want to hide this from him for seven, eight months?"

"What other choice do we have? Even if he wants to go through with the ritual now, he can't. Not in the middle of the school year."

"That's not our decision to make," Percy hissed at her as she grabbed her bag to leave. "It's Theo's. And we know what he wants to do." Madison stopped at the door. "Madison. Tell him."

"No. If you want him to kill himself that badly, you tell him." And she walked out. She wasn't back in the common room for long before Harry, Ron, and Hermione stomped in, looking angry. "What's going on?" she questioned, as they sat in chairs around her.

"Snape took my book," Harry snapped.

"Why did he take it?"

"He made up this stupid rule that library books aren't allowed out of the castle, but I've spoken with Madame Pince, and she says that as long as they don't get messed up we can take them wherever we want," Hermione said matter of factly.

"So Snape's being an arse, that's nothing new," Madison said, pulling out her transfiguration essay and book. "Look, Harry, if it makes you that mad, just go ask for the book back and promise you won't take it outside again."

Harry thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. See you guys later." As he took off, Ron glanced down at his watch.

"He's cutting it close to curfew, he should hurry," he commented.

"He'll be fine," Madison said, but cast a nervous glance towards the common room entrance. Harry wasn't gone long, and he came back in, panting as if he'd run. "Did you get it?" Ron asked. Then he paused. "What's the matter?"

"I think I walked into something I shouldn't have." Madison raised her eyebrows. "Snape was in the staffroom, with Filch. His leg – Snape's, I mean – was all messed up. It looked like he'd been bitten, and he was complaining about something having three heads." He paused dramatically. "You know what this means? He tried to get past that three headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him – he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

"Are you sure?" Madison asked doubtfully, knowing full well who it really was who'd let the troll in, and it wasn't Snape. She did suspect he'd gone up to the third floor on Halloween, but it wasn't for the reason Harry thought.

"No, he wouldn't," Hermione said, her eyes wide. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Madison, Hermione, you two think all teachers are saints or something," Ron snapped. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

The next morning, Madison decided to go down to breakfast, attempting to avoid having to talk to Percy, and also to support Harry before his Quidditch match, despite the fact she wasn't planning on attending. With the mystery of Theo's magic solved, she was going to go talk to Dumbledore herself, to see what the old headmaster had to say. Surely he'd at least understand her reasoning in not telling Theo just yet?

"You really need to eat breakfast, Harry," she told the boy who lived, who was sitting at the breakfast table staring at all the food but not taking a bite. "Quidditch is a rough game, I've heard, you'll need to keep your strength up."

"I'm not hungry."

"Madison's right, you do need to eat," Hermione joined in, trying to help. "Just have a little toast, that's all."

After she'd seen Harry off, Madison bid farewell to the rest of the group, who looked surprised.

"You're not going to the match?" Ron demanded.

Madison shook her head. "I don't like brooms, and I could barely stand the one flying lesson I attended. Besides, you'll tell me all about it, I'm sure, when it's over. I have some homework to catch up on." Hermione looked tempted to join her, but instead went with the rest of the group, Ron sending Madison glares as he left.

When they were all gone, Madison packed up her schoolwork and slung her bag over her shoulder, heading to Dumbledore's office. Arriving, she found she had no idea what the password was, but as she stood there, McGonagall came down. "Hi," she said, relieved. "I need to speak with the headmaster about something."

"Go right up," McGonagall said, giving her a small smile. Madison quickly said her thanks and darted up the stairs.

"Professor?"

"Ah, Miss Reyes!" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Lemon drop?"

"Uh, no sir," Madison said quickly. "I needed to speak with you about something. About Theo." Dumbledore set his bowl down and furrowed his eyebrows. "Well. Percy and I have been doing nonstop research about the potential curses, and we think we found it. Exhaurire Magia."

Dumbledore stared at her, wide eyed. "Are you sure?" he whispered. "That's the name of the curse?"

"It fits," Madison said. "I mean, the description said people used to die from it, but those with strong magic survived, their magic was just weaker and… it hurt. That's what's happened to Theo."

"I've heard of this," Dumbledore said, standing. "In the restricted section, there is a book, Magics most dark, that describes this curse and the counter ritual, but..." He walked over to a bookcase near a spiral staircase. "Ah!" He pulled one off the shelf, and slid it over to Madison. She picked it up.

"Rituals of Magic?" she read, looking back up at the headmaster. "What is this?"

Dumbledore nodded to the book. "That has the ritual needed as well. It's in there to supposedly give magic to muggles or squibs. It is dangerous, though."

"Yeah I know that," Madison said, dropping it back on the desk. "It can kill Theo. That's what I came to talk to you about. I don't think we should tell Theo we found a cure just yet."

Dumbledore didn't look surprised; he simply sat down across from her and folded his hands together. "Why do you think this?" he questioned.

"Because I know Theo. I've known him for ten years, I lived with him for a year-" Dumbledore's eyebrows raised "- and I know what he'd chose. He'd rather die than live without his magic, but we need him. Percy and I – we can't do this alone. We can barely stand each other, actually."

"I'm assuming you've already spoken to Mr. Weasley about this, and he said Mr. Nott should know?" Madison avoided the headmaster's all-knowing gaze. "Miss Reyes. It is Mr. Nott's choice. Not mine, nor yours. Nor Mr. Weasley's, in fact. You should be the one to tell him, and soon."

Madison sighed, standing. "Thank you headmaster," she said quietly, as the door burst open and Professor McGonagall rushed in.

"Albus. Potter almost fell off his broom!" Both McGonagall and Dumbledore looked to Madison.

"It happened last time, he was fine, I didn't think it was as important to mention as other things," she commented. "If you'll excuse me though, I have to go talk to Theo about something much more important." Dumbledore nodded at her, while McGonagall looked to him in confusion.

Madison slowly climbed the stairs, lost in thought. Theo had never cared about his life; his father had been a death eater, and his mother had died giving birth to him. Therefore, he'd had no real childhood, and school had been a nightmare for him too, with him in the background of Slytherin while Draco Malfoy was front and center. In fact, she didn't think she'd even spoken much to him until Harry'd died. If she closed her eyes, she could still remember that day vividly.

"Harry's gone to confront him." Madison could overhear Granger and Weasley talking in low voices from her spot on the front stairs, staring at the death and destruction around her. Her mind was blank, she hadn't ever thought you-know-who would attack Hogwarts. "He's… he's going to die, isn't he Ron?" Madison looked up as Weasley wrapped his arm around the sobbing girl.

"It's Harry," Weasley stated, trying and failing to sound confident. "He's survived before."

"But what if this time he doesn't?" Granger continued to sob, and Madison rose, fleeing, heading towards the apparition zone.

"Reyes." The voice made her freeze and she whipped out her wand, turning to Theodore Nott, who was standing behind her. He saw her wand and held up his hands, signaling he wasn't armed. "Wand's away, I'm not going to hurt you."

Madison didn't lower her wand, kept it concentrated on the death eater's son, though her hand was shaking. "How do I know? Prove it!" Theo reached into his pocket, pulling out his own wand and tossing it towards her. She quickly bent down and picked it up.

"I promise. I'm not on their side." He jerked his head towards the forbidden forest, where they knew the death eaters had congregated. "I mean, my father is, but he wasn't much of a father."

"Potter's going to die." Madison stared him in the eyes and watched as his widened, looking horrified. "Then they're going to storm the castle and kill everybody. I have to get out of here." She looked back towards the castle, where smoke could be seen rising from one of the towers.

"Come with me then." She stared. "I'm leaving, if Potter's… Well. I refused to take the dark mark, so you-know-who won't think of me too kindly if I stay."

"Where will you go?" Madison lowered her wand slightly, but kept her tight grip on Nott's. "I … I have a house. It was my aunt's, but she died, and it's not listed in my records here. He won't be able to find me there. If I don't use magic."

Nott shrugged. "I don't know. Haven't exactly thought that far yet." He and Madison stared at each other, both lost in their own thoughts.

Madison finally sighed. "You can come with me then," she said. "But I keep your wand," she added, tucking it into her pocket. "After… Lift your sleeve." Nott sighed as well, patiently rolling up the sleeves of his robes to reveal bare skin.

"See? Nothing."

Madison swallowed. "Fine. You can come." She took his arm and they dissapparated.

At some point, she'd reached the common room and had been standing outside the portrait. She quickly apologized and entered, spotting Theo, Harry, Ron, and Hermione seated in the corner, whispering among themselves. "Hey guys, what's going on?" She asked, forcing her voice to stay steady.

"Do you know who Nicholas Flamel is?" Hermione questioned her. Madison, shook her head.

"No, who's Nicholas Flamel?" She sat down in between Harry and Theo, guilt going through her as she refused to look at the latter boy.

"That's the problem. We don't know," the dark haired boy groaned. "Whatever that dog's guarding – his name's Fluffy, by the way-"

"Fluffy?" Madison demanded, appalled. "Its name is Fluffy?" This was a detail she'd never learned last time. "What idiot named it that?"

Harry winced. "Hagrid."

"Oh. Figures." She sighed. "So you were saying something about what Fluffy is guarding?"

"Whatever it is, it has to do with Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel," Hermione told her with a sigh. "Hagrid let slip that much, but I have no idea who Flamel is."

"None of us do," Ron said with a dramatic sigh.

Madison found Theo in the room of requirement the next morning, but she stood by the door watching him for some time as he flipped through the book he was reading. She finally cleared her throat, gaining his attention. He smiled.

"Good morning Madison," he said, then let out a noise of frustration. "I can't find anything in these stupid books." He shut the one he was flipping through and leaned back. "I'm about to give up, actually. Maybe you guys are right, and I don't need my magic."

Madison took a nervous step forward. "About that, Theo." She chewed on her lip. "Percy … Percy actually found an answer, night before last." His head shot up. "I… Um." She sat down next to him. "It's dangerous. There's a counter ritual, but it could kill you."

"What?" Theo's voice was hoarse. "What's the curse? What –"

"It's called Exhaurire Magia. Magic drain. It was used to prevent wizards from being found out by muggles when we were being hunted, but it didn't do what it was supposed to do. It killed them."

"Then you've got the wrong spell." Theo pulled away from her, looking disappointed. "I'm not dead, so you have the wrong thing."

"No, Theo, we don't." Madison could feel tears welling in her eyes. "In some cases, it did what it was supposed to do. It slowly drained magic from someone." She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. "If their magic was exceptionally strong, they survived, with a limit on the amount of magic they could use, and with … well, it hurt to use magic, because the use of magic strains your body."

"And you said I can be fixed?" Theo looked hopeful, and Madison's tears slowly slid down her cheeks.

"Yes. Or you could die, Theo. The ritual is dangerous. Dumbledore gave me a book on it-"

"You went to Dumbledore first?"

"Because I didn't want to tell you." Theo looked angry at Madison's revelation. "I knew that if you knew, there was no way you wouldn't take this chance, and I don't want you to die. I thought Dumbledore would support the decision not to tell you until summer, at least."

Theo stood up angrily, knocking his chair back. "You were going to let me suffer until summer?" he growled. Madison nodded mutely. "I can't believe you. I trusted you! Hell, I love-" He stopped, shaking his head, cold fury in his eyes. "I'm going to Dumbledore, and I'm getting this ritual done as soon as I can. And I don't want you there, Reyes."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

It was almost Christmas, and Theo hadn't spoken to Madison in a month. Percy did tell her Dumbledore refused to try the ritual until at least their winter break, and for that she was thankful.

She was staying at Hogwarts. She'd already sent an owl to her dad, and though she longed to go home and see him, she was needed at the castle. He was upset, but he understood she wanted to "concentrate on her studies." She didn't want to have gone home and then hear Theo had died in the ritual. Whether he wanted her there or not, she would find a way to go.

Hermione had gone home. Ron was supposed to go home, but his parents had sent him a letter saying they had gotten a little extra money and were going to take the chance to visit his older brother, who was working in Romania. Harry, of course, had no interest in going home, and Theo was staying for his own reasons.

Madison was sitting in the room of requirement when Percy walked in, a stack of books in his arms. He narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. "What are you doing?"

She slid her book towards him. "I'm researching other ways to give someone their magic back without that stupid ritual Dumbledore found. There has to be a less dangerous one, hasn't there?"

Percy picked up the book, scanned the page, and shook his head. "I've heard of this one, it doesn't work." He gave it back to her and sank into one of the chairs. "Shouldn't you be concentrating on something else? Isn't Potter close to solving the mystery of Nicholas Flamel?"

Madison shrugged. "Probably, but he hasn't yet. Maybe after the holidays, when Hermione comes back." She picked up another book, gazing around the room. "This place is truly amazing. I wonder where all the books come from?"

"Around the castle, I presume," Percy stated, scribbling on a piece of parchment. "Most of the ones we've been working with I believe are all in the restricted section. Others were hidden here years ago. The date on the one where we found that.. the curse was published in the 1940s."

"What if what I need is in a book that isn't here at Hogwarts?" Madison commented. "I think one of us needs to make a trip to Knockturn Alley."

Startled, Percy knocked over his bottle of ink. "You can't be serious, Madison. I've never stepped foot there, even before we came back in time."

"Percy, what if they have what we need?" Madison pleaded. "Theo could die, why am I the only one who cares about this?"

"You aren't," Percy informed her, cleaning up the ink with a quick spell. "But I can't be seen in Knockturn Alley, my family is known as being in the light. You can't go, you're a muggleborn. No offense. And Theodore won't go. He wants to go ahead with this ritual."

"And I don't want him to!" Madison was crying again. "The three of us are supposed to do this together. How can we without Theo?"

"I'm sure you'd manage," a dark voice said from the door, and Madison looked up to see Theo standing there, arms crossed. "But you won't have to. I'm not going to die, Madison. I have strong magic, remember?"

"But Theo-"

"No more research on this, Madison, please." He sat down. "The ritual's tomorrow, anyway, so you don't have any time." Madison shot her head up, staring at him in horror. "I know tomorrow's Christmas eve," he continued, "but Dumbledore's free and so am I. It'll be in here, so nobody will hear me screaming if it- if it comes to that." Madison felt her breath catch. "You can be there," Theo said, looking over at her. "I know you'd find a way in anyway, so I may as well give you permission."

"Theo, there may still be another way. If you wait until this summer –"

"I don't want to wait until this summer," he snapped. "I'm sick of my weak magic, of Malfoy looking down on me and treating me like crap daily. I would rather die than be a muggle. I know you can't understand that, you were born not knowing about magic, but it's been my entire life."

Madison sobbed, but Theo just stood up and walked out. "I can't-" she whispered, staring at the door through her tears. "It hurts."

"You love him." Percy's statement was just that- it wasn't a question. She looked over at him and nodded. "I thought so. How long?"

"Since we lived in my aunt's cabin," she told him. "I – we never said it. We had a relationship, of a sort, but we never did say 'I love you' to each other. I think Theo came close… when he got mad last month, but even then.. I don't think we're meant to be, Theo and I."

"I was engaged to Penelope." Percy's eyes were wet when Madison looked back at him. "When she died, she was pregnant with our baby. We hadn't meant to conceive him, our son, but it happened and she was so happy. Completely overjoyed. I… that was when I returned to live with my mother, right before you came to live there. When she died."

"Oh Percy, I'm sorry," Madison whispered, placing a comforting hand on his arm. Percy forced a smile, looking at the ground.

"We're starting to date, again. It's about a year earlier than we did the first time around but I couldn't wait to hold her, to kiss her."

"You're fifteen though," Madison informed him. "Body wise. I'm eleven. Even if I wanted to confess my love to Theo, I couldn't. We're too young." She stood and stretched. "If the ritual's going to be tomorrow, I'm just going to head to bed. I'll need plenty of rest to… to deal with this." Percy gave her a farewell nod and she went up to her dorm, sinking onto her bed and letting her tears fall.

She barely slept, despite having told Percy she wanted to rest, and when the sun rose, it found her back in the room of requirement, surrounded by a pile of books containing the darkest spells that existed, and when Dumbledore entered not long after, he startled her so bad she knocked over one of the piles.

"Good morning, Miss Reyes."

She forced a smile. "Morning professor." She slowly stacked the books back up, knowing the headmaster was watching her. "I didn't find anything," Madison confessed, looking up at him. "Just that ritual again. I still think if you two could hold off, let someone go to Knockturn Alley we might-"

"Madison, no." Theo had entered and was shaking his head. "I told you, I want this. Please just be here with me, okay?" Madison swallowed, looking up at the headmaster, who was suddenly interested in a painting on the wall.

"Theo… I don't want you to die," she whispered, pulling him into a hug. "I love you."

He pulled back suddenly, staring at her incredulously. "You do?" She nodded, trying to smile. A wince came out. "Why didn't you say anything before now?"

"When have I had time? We've been too busy saving the world and trying to save you." She hugged him again. "Please. Don't do this." Out of the corner of her eye she noted Dumbledore turning away from them, pretending to examine the tapestries on the wall.

"Madison. I have to." This time she pulled back, tears falling down her face. Theo smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry. Who knows. I could survive. Right?" This was directed at Dumbledore, who gave a curt nod. Theo sighed. "Well, let's get started."

Dumbledore gestured for Theo to be seated, and he pulled out his wand, looking over at Madison. "Once this starts it can't be stopped, Miss Reyes. You must not try. That would kill him for sure." Madison nodded, brushing away her tears and sitting down in a separate chair, clenching her hands together so tight her nails dug into her skin. Dumbledore turned back to Theo. "Are you absolutely sure about this, Theodore?" The boy in question nodded, glancing over at Madison, who tried to give him an encouraging smile. "Let's get started then."

"Wait." Percy rushed in. "I'm sorry I'm late, I wanted to be here." Dumbledore gave him a nod as Percy sat beside Madison and took her hand in his. "It'll be okay," he reassured her.

Dumbledore began to chant, and a white light filled the room. "Da mihi magicae divinos suos, et fuit ante eum sicut fortis integer illo" The phrase was chanted, over and over, as the light grew brighter and brighter. Theo was twisting in his chair, letting out short gasps as he struggled, it looked, to breathe. Madison wanted to turn her head away but she couldn't, even as the light suddenly vanished and the room was filled with a dark smoke that seemed to come out of Theo's body. Then the smoke was gone, and a golden light appeared, the same light as before, and it filled his body, and then darkness again. Dumbledore stopped chanting.

Theo was still. "Theo?" Madison whispered. There was no response.

"Give him a moment, Madison," Dumbledore told her, but he too looked concerned.

"Theo," she said, louder this time. He didn't move. "Theo!"

"Percy, hurry and get Madame Pomfrey," Dumbledore said in a low voice. The redhead didn't move, staring at Theo's still form. "Now!" Percy raced out of the room, and Madison hurried to Theo, grabbing his wrist and feeling for a pulse.

"He's alive," she breathed. "Theo? Can you hear me?"

Theo let out a moan of pain, opening his eyes and looking up at her. "Hey." His voice was cracked, small. "It hurts."

"I know," she whispered, brushing a strand of his dark hair off his forehead. "Madame Pomfrey's coming."

"She'll have to be told, you understand," Dumbledore said quietly.

"I know," Theo managed, as the door burst open and Percy raced in, the nurse right behind him.

"Headmaster, what is going on here?" she demanded, feeling for Theo's pulse. "Thready. All Mr. Weasley said was something about a curse?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Theo said weakly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Have you tried using it yet? Your magic?" Madison questioned the next morning, Christmas eve, sitting in a chair next to Theo's hospital wing bed. He shook his head.

"Not yet. Pomfrey wants me to rest first, she said I can try to use it tonight, under her supervision." Theo let out a heavy sigh. "I do feel stronger," he admitted. "Stronger than I have since we got here."

"That's good then, isn't it?" she asked.

Theo shrugged. "I guess. Hey, maybe now Malfoy will leave me alone."

"Doubtful," Madison said with a snort, pulling her thick hair into a ponytail. "He doesn't seem the type. Look what he's done – did?" She hesitated. "I guess we can't judge him on that Malfoy, can we?"

Theo opened his mouth to answer as Madame Pomfrey came out of her office. "Mr. Nott, are you ready to try using magic?" she asked him. A look of horror appeared on Theo's face.

"But- You said not until this evening," he protested, looking to Madison for assistance.

"Yes, I am aware of this," Pomfrey said, raising her eyebrows. "But let's just try a simple one, yes? Wingardium Leviosa." She passed Theo his wand and stood back, expectantly.

Madison took Theo's hand. "You can do it," she whispered encouragingly. "It's a first year spell, it's nothing."

He took a deep breath, his hand shaking as he raised his wand. "Wingardium leviosa." The spell came out in a squeak, but the vase sitting on his nightstand rose, knocking gently into the ceiling. Theo stared at it in amazement, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "It worked," he breathed, not taking his eyes off the vase. "I – it worked!"

"Yes, wonderful, Mr. Nott. Now if you could please put my vase down so you don't break it?" Theo and Madison exchanged a glance and burst into laughter, the vase slowly coming to rest back on the nightstand. "I will go let Professor Dumbledore know."

When she was gone, Madison gave Theo a huge hug. "It worked!" She exclaimed. "Your magic is back!"

Theo was still grinning as she pulled away. "I didn't think it would work," he confessed. "I thought I'd never have my magic back!"

Theo was in the hospital wing throughout Christmas, leaving the Gryffindor common room quite lonely. Ron and Harry were friendly with Madison, but she was closer to Hermione then she was to them, and there was no excuse during the holidays for Madison and Percy to hang out, as they'd told everyone he was helping her with schoolwork, and there was no schoolwork during the holidays.

She spent as much time as she could in the hospital wing with Theo, who had told Harry and Ron Madame Pomfrey was helping him strengthen up – that winter always made him ill. But Pomfrey would only allow her to stay an hour or two a day, so most of her time was spent in the room of requirement, researching horcruxes. She and Theo never spoke of what she'd told him before he went through with the ritual.

With Theo's magical problem solved they could move to concentrate on the reason they'd time travelled in the first place. You-know-who. In Madison's opinion, they should just kill Quirrell and get it over with, but Percy had said that if they did that, there was no telling what the dark lord would do next. In Theo's opinion, he'd just kill them all.

They knew where the horcruxes were, for the most part. Hufflepuff's cup was in Gringotts and was virtually impossible to get to. They needed a serious plan for that. Tom Riddle's diary was in the hands of Lucius Malfoy, and would soon find its own way to Ginny Weasley and by extension harry Potter, who would destroy it. Slytherin's locket was also in a place they couldn't get to – Grimmauld Place, under the care of the house elf Kreacher. They'd planned to get Sirius freed and convince him to let them search the Black Manor. With any luck, there wouldn't be any problems. The diadem was here. In fact, Madison knew it was in the very room she was in, yet a different one. She wasn't sure exactly how the Room of Requirement worked.

It was the Gaunt ring that left them puzzled. Dumbledore had never said, apparently, where he'd found it the first time around, but he had found it originally. The group didn't know whether to search for themselves or to have the old man search.

And Nagini, you-know-who's snake. None of them knew when she became a horcrux, perhaps sometime after his return, but they couldn't risk it. They'd have to tell Harry to kill it as soon as he could.

Harry. It was here they'd reached a serious problem. Should they do what Dumbledore had done the first time around, and let you-know-who kill Harry, with one of them nearby to kill him before he could kill Harry for good? They'd been researching ways to remove the dark lord's soul from the objects without damaging them, for this was surely the only way to prevent what happened the last time around.

Frustrated, she threw the book at the wall and dropped her head into her hands. She hated being alone. She wished she'd just gone home to spend Christmas with her father. He at least wouldn't have left her by herself for so long, giving her time to think and to remember.

Madison hated to remember. When she allowed herself to remember over the last few months, she kept getting sucked into the memories of death and destruction that had been her world until being thrown back to this time of –

Well, it wasn't peace, exactly. There was still fighting going on, it was just behind the scenes, between a select few people. The rest of the world had no idea.

It was late, Madison realized, looking over at the clock. She gathered her school books and started towards the door, only to see Dumbledore standing there. "Professor," she said in shock. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry to have startled you, Miss Reyes. I had wondered if you wanted to take a walk with me?"

Madison raised her eyebrows. "Uh. Sure." She shoved her books in her bag and followed the headmaster out to the grounds. "Sir, what's this about?"

"Would you like to meet Nicholas Flamel?" Madison stared at him. "We are good friends, you know, and I thought maybe he could be some help in the search for – well, what you and your friends are searching for."

"Are you serious, sir?" Madison couldn't help but continue to stare.

"He will be leaving us by the end of the year, so it's now, or never, as they say."

"Oh," Madison said quietly as they reached the edge of the grounds and the apparition point.

"I assume you've done side along apparation before?" Dumbledore asked her, and she nodded, thinking back to the days she and Theo had spent apparating from place to place together, sometimes with her leading, sometimes with him. "We are going to be going to London, Nicholas and Perry have their home there this century."

"Perry?" Madison questioned, but then remembered Nicholas Flamel's wife was named Perenell, and figured 'Perry' must be a nickname. "Oh." She took his arm and they vanished, Madison briefly wondering if she should have told Theo or Percy she was leaving before the sight of the castle vanished and she was staring at a small home with smoke billowing from the chimney. "Flamel lives here?" She asked Dumbledore, who gave her a short nod before reaching out and knocking on the door.

"One moment!" A male voice shouted from inside. Then the door swung open, and Madison blinked in surprise.

She'd never thought about Nicholas Flamel would look like, but she'd expected him to look old, much older than Dumbledore, but the two looked as if they were the same age, give or take ten years.

"Albus!" He pulled the headmaster into a hug, then saw Madison standing nervously beside him. "And this is?"

"I'm Madison Reyes, Mr. Flamel," Madison didn't wait for Dumbledore to introduce her, and held her hand out. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's Nicholas, please! I've heard about you. Come in, come in." He waved his hands towards the door, going in the house himself. "Perry! The time traveler girl is here with Albus!"

Madison followed Dumbledore in, closing the door quietly behind her. The house was small, cozy, nothing like what she would have expected a world renowned alchemist to be living in. A woman came through a door, wiping her hands on an apron. She too, looked younger than Madison would have expected her to, and she looked even younger when she broke out into a smile.

"Albus!" she exclaimed in a heavy French accent. "What brings you here? And ah, you brought the girl! Is this about our future?"

"Not exactly," Madison stated, looking over at Dumbledore for assistance. The headmaster wasn't paying her any attention, though, he'd gotten lost already in a conversation with Nicholas. Madison smiled at Perenelle nervously. "I ah. We actually came here for your advice, really."

This gained both of their attention, and they all moved into the living room, taking seats on the separate couches. "What do you need our advice for, Madison?" Nicholas asked her, folding his hands together, much like she was used to seeing Dumbledore do.

"Well-" She shot a look at Dumbledore, who seemed willing to let her do all the speaking. "It's about the dark lord, actually. Vol-Voldemort." It was the first time she'd spoken his name, and she flinched, looking around the room in a slight panic before calming herself down. Thankfully, none of the older people in the room commented on this, they simply waited for her to continue. And so she explained about Voldemort, his horcruxes, and Harry Potter. She told the Flamels about the future – not mentioning they would be dead by this time the next year – and how the wizarding world had gotten everything wrong. When she finished, Nicholas and Perenelle were holding hands, looking at each other.

"I've heard of horcruxes," Nicholas said finally, tearing his eyes from his wife to look at Madison. "Many wizards have created them in the past, but most then go into hiding, so people would not discover their secret. I was unaware Voldemort had them, and you said he created seven?"

"Accidentally," Madison said. "I don't think Harry was meant to be one." She saw Dumbledore nodding on her other side, and she looked over at him.

"I have a theory behind that, actually," the headmaster said. "He had already created, what, five horcruxes by this time?" Madison nodded.

"We believe so," she said. "At least five anyway, perhaps six."

"My theory is his soul was so torn, so weak, that the killing curse rebounding on him was enough to tear a sliver off, and that sliver, looking for its original host, attached itself to the only living thing in the room. Harry."

"As interesting as this is, what is it you need from myself and my wife?" Nicholas questioned, a twinkle in his eye that Madison had always associated with Dumbledore. The two men were very similar, she was noticing.

"We want to find a way to destroy the pieces of Vol - of his soul without destroying the vessels they're contained in," Madison explained. Nicholas looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Aha!" He said suddenly, standing up. "I will be right back." Madison watched him go, nervously tapping her foot on the carpet floor.

"Would you like some tea?" Perenelle asked them, standing as well. Dumbledore nodded, and Perenelle glanced at Madison, but she shook her head.

"No, but thank you for the offer," she said politely. The older woman gave her a short nod, then headed out of the room too. "Professor, don't you think we should have told Theo or Percy before leaving the castle?"

"Mr. Nott and Mr. Weasley will be just fine. You can explain to them where we went when we return," Dumbledore said as Nicholas re-entered, carrying a yellowed rolled up parchment. Madison sat up straight, looking at it with curiosity.

"This is information given to us by Grindelwald." At his name, Dumbledore gave a start, looking at Nicholas with an expression Madison couldn't place. "He decided it would be safe with my wife and I. It details… Well, it isn't exactly what you're looking for. It's more information about Horcruxes themselves. Here." He held it out to Madison and she took it, unrolling it and staring at the spiked writing.

She let in a sharp breath, looking up at Nicholas in horror. "This is the ritual to create a horcrux," she said in a hushed voice. "Why do… why do you have this?"

"Like I said, it was given to us by Grindelwald for safe keeping," Nicholas stated.

"I can't – Here." She passed it back to him. "I can't have that in my possession. What if someone got ahold of it? It won't help us, so just… you keep it hidden." She stood up. "Professor, I think it's time to go back to the castle."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"How did Grindelwald have it? Why did he give it to the Flamels? None of this makes sense!" Percy was, understandably, quite confused with what Madison had told him and Theo that evening when she returned to the castle. Dumbledore had tried to get her to stay at the Flamels, in order to get some kind of explanation, but she'd refused, in too much shock to deal with the Flamels just then. So, they'd headed back to Hogwarts, where she immediately had gone to find the other two.

"I don't know either," Madison said grimly. "It's possible that Grindelwald gave a young Vol – him – the information, the details. I know you said – " she nodded towards Theo "- that Slughorn gave him the background, but he had to get the incantation and ritual from somewhere else, right?"

"Yes, he would have. But Grindelwald? I don't know if he was one for immortality," Percy stated, shaking his head. Madison shivered, thinking about the two dark wizards conversing. Both had caused so much destruction in the wizarding world, decades apart.

"I believe Voldemort was at Hogwarts when Grindelwald was in power, so it is possible that they met at some point. We could always question Dumbledore, he was the one that defeated Grindelwald, but I'm not sure if he would give us a straight answer," Theo said, flipping through a book detailing Grindelwald's reign of power.

"We don't need to be involved with that. That doesn't even matter," Madison said, her voice determined. "We've just got to move on as if I'd never met the Flamels. We need a way to destroy the horcrux in Harry without killing him, that's our goal, okay guys?" Theo and Percy exchanged a glance.

"I still want to know how Voldemort found out the incantation and ritual for horcruxes," Percy told her with a sigh. "But that can wait. For now, you're right. We find out a way to destroy his soul without killing Harry."

Madison stood, stretching, and then went to look at the bookshelves in the corner of the room. "I think I'm just going to go to the common room early tonight," she told the other two, turning back around. "We really do need to work on our friendship with Harry and Ron. This entire break we've been more concerned with – other things," she amended her statement at the last second, with a quick glance at Theo.

"And I believe I'm going to go meet with Penny before bed," Percy said smiling happily. Madison grinned at him, before exiting.

Hey Dad.

I know I haven't been writing much, but Hogwarts is amazing! I've made some pretty good friends. There's Theo Nott, he's a little shy but I think he's starting to open up! Hermione Granger is a muggleborn like me (that means her parents are nonmagical) so we understand each other really well. And Harry and Ron, but they're mostly friends with each other.

I hope your Christmas went good! I spent mine with Theo, he was in the hospital wing (don't worry, nothing serious!). I loved the bracelet you sent me, thanks!

I should get back to my work. It's the break I know, but I'm doing some independent study. I want to know as much about this world as I can!

Love Madison.

Madison waited for the ink to dry, then called over to Harry. "May I borrow Hedwig? I have a letter to send to my dad and I don't have my own owl." Harry simply shrugged, concentrating on his chess match with Ron.

It was quite a few days after Christmas, and she'd finally gotten around to writing her dad; in the couple of months she'd been at Hogwarts she'd only written him once or twice, something she regretted. It was hard writing to him though, hence the short undetailed letter. The letter wasn't perfect. It wasn't even great. But it would have to do; she couldn't exactly tell him all she wanted to. There were so many events he didn't know had happened, because they hadn't yet. This whole time travel thing confused her.

With a sigh, not having gotten a straight answer, she went over to the two boys, pulling up a chair and watching their game. It was clear Ron was winning; the youngest Weasley son was an amazing strategist, even at this age. When he finally won, sitting back in his chair and looking smug, Madison turned back to Harry and repeated her question.

"Yeah," the boy who lived said. "Course you can. She isn't able to do much, she mostly just hangs out in the owlery. It's not like I have many people to write to," he added bitterly.

"Thanks!" Madison said brightly, giving him a hug, grabbing her rolled up letter, and darted out of the common room, heading to the owlery.

"Theo, just tell her." She stopped walking, hearing Percy's voice come from inside an empty classroom. She stared at the door, tempted to go in, to find out what they were talking about, but Theo's response made her freeze.

"Tell her what? I'm in love with her?" His voice came out sounding defeated. "It's highly unlikely she feels the same, Perce. Madison lost everything the first time round, it was the only reason we were together. She was in love with Terry Boot, everybody knew it. Our relationship was physical, her heart belonged to a dead man. How could I ever compete with that?"

The prefect let out a short laugh. "How do you know if you've never told her? She told you that she loves you." Footsteps sounded close to the door, and Madison fled, her heart pounding. Terry Boot.

They'd begun dating her sixth year, and he'd died when the death eaters stormed the castle the first time. Though they had technically been together at the time of his death, she'd been on the verge of ending things with him after finding out he was seeing Cho Chang as well as her. She had been upset with his death, true, but it hadn't destroyed her.

In fact, she hadn't even seen Terry since coming back in time. She'd thought about it, briefly, but she was aware he probably wouldn't even know her name, except as just another Gryffindor girl.

Did Theo really think she was still in love with Terry? The two of them had never spoken about him while they'd lived in the cabin, and even since they'd been back in the past where Terry was alive and well, she'd never mentioned his name.

She continued her trek to the owlery, mind spinning. He loves her. It didn't seem real, but she'd heard him say those words. I'm in love with her. He'd said that, to Percy, who was the only person who knew she loved him. Theo knew, but he didn't understand.

Forgetting her letter to her dad, she turned around and hurried back to that empty classroom, determined to tell Theo, to just get it out there in the open, but the room was now empty. She wasn't surprised. Madison let out a sigh and took the long journey back to the owlery, called Hedwig down, and sent the letter off, before walking slowly to the Gryffindor common room.

"Madison!" She turned to see Hermione hurrying towards her, grinning from ear to ear. She'd completely forgotten the students that had gone home would be arriving that evening. "How was your Christmas? Did you like my present?"

Madison had gotten a book from Hermione, of course, but it was the latest installment in a muggle series both girls were reading that Madison had never heard of before. The short letter that had accompanied it stated Hermione'd gotten the same book for herself. Madison grinned. "Of course I did! I already finished it!"

They chatted on the way to the Gryffindor tower, mostly about the book series but also about various things. They'd almost reached it when Hermione turned back to Madison, a grim look on her face. "I need to talk to you," she said quietly. "I uh – my parents aren't sure they want me to continue attending Hogwarts." Madison stared at her in surprise. They hadn't changed time that much, what was going on? "They – well, Dumbledore wrote them about the troll. I guess he had to, or something, but they think Hogwarts is too dangerous and almost didn't let me return."

"You're here, though," Madison said finally, just staring at the other girl, who nodded.

"Yes, I had to fight them though and promise I wouldn't put myself in any more life or death situations. I didn't even tell them about Fluffy," she added. "And I never did get to ask them about Nicholas Flamel." Madison nervously looked away, thinking back on her meeting with the creator of the philosopher's stone. "I can't tell Ron or Harry," Hermione continued. "So keep this between us?"

"Of course," Madison said, and they continued on their way to the common room. Inside, Harry and Ron saw Hermione and hurried over to them.

"We need to talk," Harry said in a low voice. Hermione raised her eyebrows, and Harry gestured for the two girls to join them in their corner. In a hushed voice, Harry told them about something called the Mirror of Erised, where he'd been able to see his parents and the rest of his family, and how Dumbledore had told him it would be moved, and he wasn't to go looking for it again. "He said wizards have gone mad, just staring in it," he concluded.

"You had an invisibility cloak and didn't go looking for Nicholas Flamel?" Madison questioned.

Harry flushed. "I did," he defended himself. "That's how I found the mirror."

"But you didn't find anything?" Madison pressed. Harry mutely shook his head. Madison sat there silent, wondering what she would have seen in the mirror of Desire.

Term began, and Madison, Theo, and Percy found themselves splitting their time between the room of requirement and spending time with their friends; In Percy's case, this was Oliver Wood and Penelope, with Theo, it meant various Slytherins he'd somewhat befriended as children and so he wasn't too estranged from, and for Madison, this meant Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

One evening Percy came in, looking upset. "What's wrong?" Madison asked, looking up quickly.

"It's nothing," Percy informed her. "Penny and I got into a little fight is all. She thinks I'm spending too much of my time with you two."

"Go spend time with her then," Madison said gently as Theo watched on. "She's your love, isn't she? She's more important than us." She gestured to herself and Theo. "Besides, since we aren't messing with Quirrell-"

"I don't want Voldemort suspecting anything," Percy interrupted.

"I know, but since we are leaving that alone, go spend the rest of this year with Penny. Check in every week, we'll give you updates as much as we can." Percy smiled at her gratefully and left, and Theo looked toward Madison.

"We still need to solve the horcrux problem. We may need Percy. He's the one that found –"

"He is." Madison sighed, stretching her legs out. She'd had them curled underneath her for at least an hour. "But if you loved someone who died, you'd want to spend as much time with them as you could, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Theo said slowly. "Which is why I'm confused with you, Maddie."

She looked up. "What are you talking about?"

"Terry."

"Ah." Madison set her book aside. "Theo, the thing is I don't-"

"You two are in here, excellent." Madison withheld a groan as she looked over to McGonagall standing by the entrance. "Professor Dumbledore requested I come find you."

"Why?" Theo asked, even as he put the book he'd been flipping through on a stack and stood up, covering a yawn.

"I don't know, Mr. Nott," McGonagall stated. "He did request your presence immediately, however." Madison stood up as well, catching Theo's yawn. They followed the deputy headmistress to Dumbledore's office.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"Ah! Mr. Nott, Miss Reyes! Please have a seat!" These were the words Dumbledore used to greet them when they entered, McGonagall behind them. Sitting in front of the headmaster's desk was a tall man dressed in what looked like a muggle suit, a silver hoop earring dangling from his right ear and a pocket watch chain hanging from his right pocket. "I would like to introduce you to Mr. Kay, he comes to us from the Department of Mysteries."

"Seriously?" Madison said, staring. The Department of Mystery workers (called the Unspeakables) had never been a part of the war; they'd even gone deeper into hiding after Harry's death. No matter who had sought them out, they'd never revealed themselves or whatever it was they'd been working on, though Madison had always had a secret hope they had a plan to stop Voldemort. Seeing one now came as a shock to her. "I thought unspeakables weren't allowed to reveal who they are?"

"We aren't." Mr. Kay's voice was deep, stern. "You will not learn my real name, for good reason." Dumbledore conjured two more seats so that Madison and Theo could sit down, and they did, watching the unspeakable as they did so. "I am here to monitor young Mr. Nott's magic."

"What? Why?" Theo questioned, leaning forward slightly and furrowing his brow. "Why does my magic need to be monitored?"

"Exhaurire Magia." Madison raised her eyebrows as Mr. Kay cleared his throat. "The spell is ancient; we in the Department of Mysteries have been studying it and the effects. It's clear that the only survivors are extremely powerful descendants of one of the five great mages."

"The five great mages?"

"Extremely powerful?"

Madison and Theo had spoken at the same time, and glanced at each other, even as Mr. Kay nodded.

"Hundreds of years ago there were five men and women who gained knowledge of all magic, past and future. Four of their names are quite unknown, however, I'm sure you can guess the fifth. His name was Emrys, or as I'm sure you know him –"

"Merlin," Madison breathed, glancing over at Theo, whose face had been drained of all color. "But if their names are lost, how do you know it's their descendants that are surviving this spell?"

"In the department of mysteries, we know their names, as well as their bloodlines, we chose not to have it common knowledge. While the Notts are not part of the bloodline, you are, and this came as quite a surprise to us when your name appeared in the genealogical archives."

"What does – what are you talking about?" Theo managed to say. "I'm not a Nott?" Madison snorted, earning a dark look from Theo.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"No, you are not, as you say, a Nott, but I am unable to reveal your true identity, that is a secret hidden away," Mr. Kay said, ignoring their brief exchange, pulling a wrinkled piece of parchment out of his pocket, smoothing it out on the desk. "This is copied from a self-updating Genealogical binder." Madison leaned forward, spotting Theo's name at the very bottom amid blacked out words that were unreadable. "The only reason Mr. Nott here survived the Exhaurire Magia curse is because he is the descendant of Aelia Mildgyd, who was the first to study horcruxes and was rumored to have given birth to Salazar Slytherin's bastard child."

Here Dumbledore's eyes widened. "He's related to Tom?" he questioned, pulling the parchment to himself and scanning it. McGonagall peered over his shoulder, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Mr. Kay waved his question aside. "Distant cousins, if that." He turned back to Theo, clearing his throat again before continuing. "We tend to keep an eye on the bloodlines, and as far as we know, you and one other are the only ones that remain."

"Who else?" Madison asked curiously. Mr. Kay shook his head.

"That information is not yours to know."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Then why am I here?" she wanted to know. "Professor McGonagall said that the both of us were wanted here." She glanced over at the transfiguration teacher, who gave her a short nod. Mr. Kay sighed.

"You were the one that found the book on Exhaurire Magia, are you not?" Madison shook her head, and the man looked surprised. "You aren't?"

"No, that was Percy. Percy Weasley," she added, seeing Mr. Kay look at her questioningly. "He's a fifth year, prefect. I could go get him?"

"That will not be necessary." Mr. Kay said, rising and sliding the parchment back in his pocket. "Mr. Nott, we shall keep in touch. Headmaster, it was good to see you again." He left the room, leaving the four that remained puzzled.

"That was…"

"Weird as hell?" Theo finished for Madison, with a little shrug. He then looked over at the headmaster. "Are we allowed to leave now? I have… a lot more questions than were answered."

"Yes, of course," Dumbledore said absentmindedly. Madison and Theo hurried out. Mr. Kay was already gone from view by the time they reached the gargoyles.

"Well then," Madison muttered as they began walking back to the common room. She glanced over at Theo. "I … Theo."

He stopped, looking over at her. "Yeah?"

"I don't love Terry." Theo looked surprised, but she rushed on, not giving him the chance to speak. "I mean, I did, at one point, but he cheated on me, and I hadn't forgiven him when he died, and I haven't even talked to him in this time. You weren't… It wasn't just physical for me either."

"Where did this come from?" Theo asked softly, grabbing her hand and pulling her into an empty room for privacy.

"I overheard you and Percy talking," she explained, chewing on the inside of her lip and not wanting to look at him. "Do you – remember our first kiss? I … Well, I meant what I said."

Madison grabbed the blanket off the couch and wrapped up in it, sitting on the floor. "It's almost the new year," she said softly, watching the clock tick down the minutes. "1999. Who knows? Maybe this year the war will end." Theo snorted, and Madison laughed bitterly. "You're right. We're all doomed."

"Maybe not doomed," Theo said gently, taking her hand in his. "The resistance is still out there, I'm sure. Dumbledore's fellows – and the Dumbledore fellows that Potter trained."

"Dumbledore's Army," Madison laughed, remembering. "I went to the first six meetings, it was a good thing Potter was doing. But in the end I chickened out, what with the Umbitch's restrictions. I was terrified of getting expelled." She shook her head. "I should have risked it."

"I didn't join either, though most of the Slytherins knew it existed. Hell, half of them were trying their hardest to figure out where the meetings were held."

"Room of Requirement," Madison told him. "It's a room on the seventh floor of Hogwarts. You have to walk past this tapestry three times thinking about something you absolutely need. Or. It was, it was destroyed in the Hogwarts battle, according to Ginny Weasley."

"That's a shame, that sounds like a pretty awesome room."

"It was."

They sat in silence, listening to the clock and watching the fire. "I wish I could go home," Theo said finally. "But that's never a possibility. My father would kill me on sight. Or he thinks I'm already dead, who knows." Madison shivered, and Theo looked concerned. "Are you cold?"

"No," she said quickly, wrapping the blanket around her tighter, pulling her hand away from Theo's. "I met your father, during the battle. He killed Susan Bones, right next to me, with a cutting curse. How – what was he like, growing up? Was he always that.."

"Cruel?" Theo asked her. She nodded. "Not exactly. I'm sure he always had the capability of being cruel, but when I was growing up it was mostly me and him. My mom died when I was born, and though my dad remarried, my stepmother died when I was seven, just dropped."

"I'm so sorry," Madison said, thinking of her own mom. She'd died when Madison was a baby, so she hadn't really known her very well, but both she and Theo had grown up with their fathers.

But Theo shrugged off her apology. "My stepmother was – well she wasn't much of a mother," he said, avoiding looking at Madison. "Her favorite thing to do was drink and forget she even had a stepchild." He stopped talking for a long while, as the clock ticked on. It was three minutes until midnight when he spoke again. "I never missed her, not even for a day. And I doubt I would miss my father if something happened to him. Then again, nobody would miss me either, would they?"

Madison surprised herself then, leaning over and kissing him right on the lips. She pulled back slightly, staring into his dark eyes, wide with shock. "I'd miss you," she confessed.

"You meant that?" Theo asked now, staring at her. "You'd miss me?"

"I would," Madison said softly, with a little smile. "I'm sure you'd miss me too."

"Of course I would," He said instantly. "Without a doubt." They smiled at each other for a second, then Theo looked away. "I know you said you.. you love me. But, we are young. In body, at least. I believe we should wait for ah – at least fifteen to date, at least me, you'd be fourteen then. If that's what you want, if you still feel like… if you want to then." Theo flushed, still not looking at her, and was startled when she let out a little laugh.

"I'm sure I will, Theo, and you're right." Madison sighed, linking their arms together and grinning at him. "Let's get going. I should go back to the common room, anyway."

They made their way back to the Gryffindor tower, and when they reached the common room, they came across a familiar scene; Ron, Harry, and Hermione huddled in a corner, whispering. Madison briefly wondered how nobody had ever suspected they were up to something as she and Theo walked over to join them.

"What's going on guys?" she questioned, sitting next to Hermione and snagging one of Ron's chocolate frogs. The two boys looked to Hermione, as if waiting for her to answer the question.

"We know who Flamel is, and what Snape is after," Hermione informed the newcomer, and Madison suppressed a groan. Since the Quidditch match where Harry had been dangled from his broomstick, even Hermione had given in and suspected Snape, which, she supposed, was the point. Quirrell knew how to get away with seeming weak and he did it well, while Snape was – Well, he wasn't a nice guy. To somebody who didn't know better, it really did seem as if Snape had been the one trying to kill Harry.

"It gets worse," Harry muttered, after Hermione had filled them in on the philosopher's stone. "Snape's refereeing the next Quidditch match. He'll have every chance he needs to kill me."

"I'm not sure about that," Theo said, looking around the common room to make sure nobody was listening in. "He'll have all eyes on him. Most it'll do is make him look bad, honestly." Harry and Ron exchanged doubtful glances.

"He's right," Hermione piped up. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore himself shows up to this match, after what happened against Slytherin."

And Dumbledore did. Madison attended the match against Hufflepuff, mostly because Ron wouldn't stop shooting her glares all through breakfast, and the research could wait. Besides, if she remembered correctly, it had been a very short game the first time around, less than ten minutes. She could stand the match for that long. Theo, however, didn't join them; he told Madison he'd see her later and disappeared, leaving the muggleborn curious.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," Ron was telling Hermione while Neville looked on nervously as Madison joined them in the stands. "Ouch!" Madison glanced behind Ron to see Malfoy and his cohorts smirking as they sat down.

"Sorry Weasley, didn't see you there," Malfoy said, grinning at Crabbe and Goyle. "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Madison had to keep telling herself to stay quiet as she clinched her hands into fists. Anything she said would simply rile Malfoy up, and she didn't want to deal with his daddy's boy attitude any more then she had to. But Malfoy continued speaking.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team? It's for people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money – Longbottom should be on the team too, you've got no brains." Poor Neville went bright red, but he turned around to face Malfoy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he managed, making Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howl with laughter. Madison shot him an encouraging smile, which the poor boy returned.

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

"Oh shut up, Malfoy," Madison finally snapped, and would have continued, but Hermione let out a sudden gasp.

"Harry!"

"What? Where?" Harry had gone into a dive, streaking towards the ground.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted money on the ground!"

This time Ron snapped, jumping on top of Malfoy and pinning him to the stands. Neville hesitated, a moment, before joining. Madison shook her head with a sigh, ignoring the two of them, and Hermione was too focused on Harry to even realize what was going on.

Gryffindor won the game, and poor Neville ended up in the hospital wing. Harry overheard a conversation between Snape and Quirrell, and the trio now believed the stone was only safe for as long as Quirrell could be brave. Madison had had to do everything she could not to snap at them, but she had to remind herself they were clueless eleven year olds.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"I can't find it!" Theo said angrily, slamming a library book down on the table. Madison peered over to look at the title. Merlin and Other Great Wizards of His Time. "Nothing even mentions Slytherin having a bastard child. Nothing!"

"Mr. Kay did say that their names were lost to history," Madison commented, pulling the book towards her and scanning the index. "What was her name again anyway? The woman, I mean, not the bastard child."

"Aelia Mildgyd," Theo said absently, already flipping through another book.

It had been a few weeks since Mr. Kay's visit, and they hadn't found anything that told them who Theo's family were, not even with the Room of Requirement's vast collection. They were in the library today; they'd had homework to do and it had made sense to stop hiding away by themselves, especially if they wanted to remain friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were by now getting upset with the fact they were never to be found when important things happened.

In fact, the trio were supposed to join them soon, and Madison was aware that neither she nor Theo had an excuse ready as to why they were looking up wizards that lived around the time of Merlin himself, but with Hermione she was sure she wouldn't need one. Or she hoped, anyway, as she spotted Ron's red hair moving towards them.

"Hey guys," she said, with a little wave as the three of them sat down at their table.

"Hey," Hermione said brightly, raising her eyebrows at the title of Madison's book, but like she'd suspected, Hermione said nothing about it. The group buckled down to study; exams weren't that far away, according to the bushy haired bookworm. Madison, reading the book Theo'd tossed aside, didn't look up until she heard Ron's exclamation, asking why Hagrid was in the library.

"He isn't exactly banned," she muttered under her breath, but nobody heard her as Hagrid responded.

"Jus' lookin'." He looked shifty, making Madison suspicious. Then Hagrid narrowed his eyes, seeing the title of the book Madison was reading. "An' what're you lot up ter? Yer not still lookin' for Nicholas Flamel, are yeh?"

Madison quickly shook her head, but it was Ron who spoke. "Oh, we found that out ages ago! And we know what that dog's guarding, it's-"

"Ron," Theo hissed, as Hagrid nervously looked around.

"We did have a few questions," Madison said, as Harry opened his mouth to speak. "About what's guarding the … item. Apart from Fluffy, that is." Ron nodded eagerly, and Hagrid eyed them all before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Listen, come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anything, mind."

"See you later then," Harry said happily, and Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Hermione wondered out loud.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the stone?" Harry questioned, looking over at Ron, who'd stood up.

"I'm going to see what section he was in," the redhead said, walking away.

Madison shook her head, letting her gaze fall back on her book. She jumped when Ron slammed a pile of books down on the table. "Hey!"

"Sorry. Dragons!" Ron was speaking in a low voice, looking around for Madame Pince. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these; Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, a Dragon Keeper's Guide…" He trailed off, looking up at Harry and the others.

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon," Harry said slowly. "He told me so the first time I ever met him."

"It's against the law," Theo spoke up. Four pairs of eyes looked at him. "Dragon breeding was outlawed in 1709. They're too dangerous to just be raising in our backyards. Muggles were noticing, and it was taking too much work to just obliviate them every time."

"Obliviate?" Harry asked.

"It's a spell that makes the victim lose his memory, usually of an event," Theo explained. "There are wild dragons in Britian. Mostly Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The ministry has quite a time keeping them from the muggles, let me tell you."

"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" Hermione asked. The five students stared at each other in silence.

Madison knew about Norberta. You didn't become friends with Hagrid without knowing about the dragon he'd attempted to raise in his wooden hut, but the poor dragon had already been in Romania for years before she'd heard of her. She had no interest in seeing her as a baby, so she confessed she was behind on homework (not a lie, unfortunately) and stayed behind with Theo while the others went down to Hagrid's cabin.

As she worked on her Transfiguration essay, her eyes kept drifting over to Theo, who was working on his potions one.

"Theo," she said finally, putting her quill down. "Can we talk?"

He didn't look up. "About?"

Madison took a deep breath. "Us." Here Theo looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Look, I've been in love with you for years now, and I thought I'd never see you again, after you left and then I left, I just –" She sighed. "I know we're physically eleven-"

"I'm twelve. My birthday's September second," Theo interrupted.

"Twelve then, but –" She stopped, fidgeting with her quill. "I want to date. We could go to Hogsmeade, third year, or something, if you're willing to wait that long but waiting an entire more year when we know – we know how we feel about each other. I've known since that day in the woods, after… after everything happened on the Platform."

Madison and Nott hid, side by side, with a disillusionment charm on them, watching the parents and guardians come through the platform to meet their children. Then her father stepped through, and she moved forward to go to him, but Nott grabbed her arm, nodding to the other side of the platform. Five men had apparated in, and Madison immediately recognized their leader. Lucius Malfoy. "No," she whispered softly, trying to pull away from Nott even as the first curse was fired, striking her father right in the chest. He let out a scream, going down, clutching the spot where the curse had hit.

"Reyes, we need to go now," Nott whispered in her ear, dissapparating. They landed in a wooded area and Madison dropped to her knees, yanking her arm away from the death eater's son.

"He's dead, isn't he." It was a statement, not a question, but Nott answered anyway, bending down with a sharp nod. Madison let out a sob, rocking back and forth, and Nott wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, so close she could feel his heartbeat. She continued to cry, and was startled to look up and see Nott was crying too. "Wh- what are you crying for?" she managed.

"Everyone that was there is dead now," he whispered. "All those families. Gone." They sat there in the woods, crying, for what seemed like hours.

Hours later, half an hour before curfew came around, Harry, Hermione, and Ron showed back up, Ron shaking with laughter.

"It's not funny, Ron! He lives in a wooden house!" Hermione was saying shrilly as the trio reached where they were still seated in the library. Madison's eyebrows shot up, and Hermione noticed. "A dragon egg," Hermione said in a low, strained voice. "He is planning on hatching a dragon egg in his hut!"

"Where did he get a dragon egg from?" Madison asked curiously, and Harry shrugged helplessly.

"From a guy in a card game," Harry explained, sighing.

"It's a Norwegian Ridgeback," Ron said. "They're rare."

"It doesn't exactly matter how rare it is, Ronald, he can still get in serious trouble!"

"Uh, Hermione, your face is turning red," Madison pointed out. "Why don't we all go up to the common room. Hagrid's stubborn, it's not like he's going to listen to us, so we might as well not worry about it right now, right?"

As the school year slowly continued to pass, Madison was no closer to figuring out how to destroy a horcrux without killing Harry, Theo was no closer to finding out about the mysterious Aelia Mildgyd, Percy was no closer to finding out about why Grindelwald had had the requirements to make a horcrux written down, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were no closer to convincing Hagrid to give the dragon egg up.

It was almost May when Hedwig flew in at breakfast with a note from Hagrid, with only two words written – It's hatching.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Hagrid greeted them when they showed up after Herbology. Ron had tried to convince everybody to go earlier, but none of the others wanted to miss part of their classes, Hermione especially. The two of them had argued through their morning classes.

The egg was lying on the table, with deep cracks already in it, a clicking noise coming from inside. There was a scraping noise, and the egg split open. The baby dragon fell out onto the table and sneezed, sparks flying out of its snout.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured, reaching out a hand. The dragon snapped at his fingers, nearly catching him with its sharp fangs.

"Are you sure it's a he?" Madison questioned, leaning forward and studying it carefully. She personally couldn't tell its gender, but she did know the baby was in fact female.

Hagrid ignored her. "Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!"

"Hagrid," Hermione began, in a timid voice. "How fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid opened his mouth to respond, but his face went pale and he leapt to his feet, rushing over to the window.

"What's wrong?" Theo demanded at once, joining him. "Malfoy," He hissed.

"He was lookin through the gap in the curtains," Hagrid explained. Harry rushed to the door and looked out.

"He's seen the dragon, hasn't he?" Madison whispered. Harry just nodded.

Later that week, Madison and Theo sat in Hagrid's hut, it being their turn to try and convince him to release Norbert.

"Hagrid," Theo stated, for the tenth time. "You live in a wooden hut. Dragons breathe fire. Wouldn't it be best to just release him? He'll be fine, dragons can hunt perfectly fine in the wild."

"It's true," Madison told the half-giant. "Dragons are natural hunters. And Norbert is big enough he can hunt small animals now, at least to begin with."

"I can't," Hagrid protested. "He'll die." Theo looked over at Madison with exhaustion in his eyes.

"I'm going back up to the castle," Theo said finally. "I have more Mildgyd research to do." The two of them hadn't stopped their search on Aelia Mildgyd, but none of their research had even turned up the family name.

Hagrid's head jerked up. "Mildgyd?" He demanded to know. Madison and Theo exchanged a glance, Theo nodding slowly.

"You know the name?"

"O' course I do. A boy I went to school with had tha' name. He joined you-know-who in the end, and died not long after. Think he was killed by aurors."

"Are you sure?" Madison questioned, eyebrows raised. She quickly pulled out a sheet of parchment from her bag, and a quill, poised to write. "Do you remember his first name?"

"Er –" Hagrid paused. "Not sure of that, he was in Slytherin. Let me see…" Silence filled the cabin as Hagrid tried to remember, neither Madison or Theo daring to breath. "Stefan, I think it was. Stefan Mildgyd."

Theo and Madison rushed to the castle library, intent to do more research. Hagrid had pushed them to know why the topic was important to them, but neither knew how to explain why they were looking for the name, that Theo was descended from Slytherin himself. Knowledge that the chamber of secrets would be opened the following year had them hesitant to bring up any connection to Slytherin.

They were just leaving the library, arms filled with books, when Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed up to them. "I thought we might find you here!" Hermione blurted. "We've done it!"

"Done what?" Theo asked immediately.

"Hagrid's agreed to send Norbert to Ron's brother, in Romania," Harry explained. "We've already sent Hedwig to Charlie, hopefully we'll have a response soon."

"That's great!" Madison exclaimed, grinning. "At least there's one less thing to worry about."

The week went by agonizingly slow, with no response from Charlie Weasley. He was the one Weasley brother Madison had never met; he'd stayed in Romania during most of the war, eventually coming to the Burrow on the night it was attacked, and most of the Weasley's killed.

Ron ended up getting bitten by Norbert, his hand swelling up and turning green. Hermione managed to convince him to go to Madame Pomfrey, the five of them hoping the nurse wouldn't ask any uncomfortable questions.

It was Tuesday when Madison got a lead on Stefan; it turned out he was a pureblood from Bulgaria, who'd attended Hogwarts from his third year on. His family tree only went seven generations, which wasn't far enough back to connect them to you-know-who; however, it was enough to connect them with a familiar name – Krum.

"Look!" Madison exclaimed, pointing to the page. Percy, who was her studying partner that day while Theo was off with Ron and Harry, leaned over.

"Stefan Mildgyd married Doniela Krum," he read, raising his eyes to look at Madison. "I wonder, could they be related to Viktor Krum?"

"Has to be," Madison said, standing up. "Viktor's from Bulgaria. I'm going to go find Theo."

"Stay," Percy told her, shutting his book. "I wanted to speak with you about Theodore." Madison slowly sat back down, looking at Percy with a puzzled expression. "Have you asked yourself why he's so determined to find out about his family?" Madison shook his head. "He's related to – to him. A murderer. The reason we were sent back in time, actually, you realize this?"

Madison swallowed. She hadn't thought about the fact Theo was related to you-know-who, at least not much more than the initial shock of it. "They're very distant… cousins. If that," she added, looking Percy in the face. "It doesn't matter."

"Does it?" Percy leaned forward. "Madison. You've barely even looked at Theo since you both started this research, since you found out that the man who killed your father-"

"I don't know who killed my father," Madison interrupted. "It could have been any of the death eaters."

"Regardless, it is you-know-who's fault your father died, and he is related to Theo, like it or not. Madison, you aren't treating him the same."

"We're kids." Madison looked Percy in the eye. "We've agreed to date when we're fourteen, no sooner than that. There's not much I can do right now without wanted to do more, Percy, that's why I'm not daring to touch him, not because I'm scared of him. Or his family."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"We've got detention," Hermione said glumly, sitting near Madison and Theo in their common room. She looked up from her homework in surprise.

"What did you do?" she questioned, wracking her brain. She couldn't remember ever hearing Hermione had had detention, and so she sat there trying to figure out if she'd heard about this the first time around. She finally came to the conclusion that she hadn't, as Hermione explained – they'd gotten caught by Filch taking Norbert to Astronomy Tower. Or returning, as the case was.

"At least Malfoy's got detention too," Madison said, grinning, earning a small smile from Hermione. "Hey. It's not too bad. Neville will forgive you, Harry will be there, and –"

"What about the points? A hundred and fifty, in one night!" Harry sank into the chair next to them, looking as if the world had very much ended.

"I'm pretty sure we'll survive," Madison told him dryly, shutting her book and setting aside. "Besides, its not like other people haven't lost Gryffindor Points." She now remembered this - although she hadn't known what caused Gryffindor to suddenly lose points the first time.

"I doubt a hundred and fifty in one night," Harry muttered darkly. Madison resisted slapping him upside the head, instead simply shaking her own head. "Hopefully the detention won't be with Filch," he added.

"Snape would be worse," Madison said, trying to sound bright. Harry glared and she picked her book back up. "I'm just trying to help." She stood up. "I'm heading to breakfast. Do you care to join me?"

As the days passed, Madison noticed the other Gryffindors giving Harry, Hermione, and Neville a huge berth. Nobody seemed to be speaking to them, minus Madison and Ron, and Madison found it, frankly, quite ridiculous, and said so frequently. This earned her seclusion, but she didn't mind; they'd dove back into the Mildgyd research.

It was about a week after Hermione and Harry had been caught up in the Astronomy tower when Theo let out a startled gasp, looking up at Madison, who had joined him in the library. "What?" she asked immediately, and he slid a book of newspaper clippings over to her. She scanned the first page.

"A child was found abandoned near Belogradchik, Bulgaria and was taken to a shelter while aurors attempt to determine where the child came from." She looked up at Theo. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Keep going."

She continued reading, the articles following the strange, abandoned child until - "The child was adopted by the Nott family in England." Madison jerked her head up, staring at Theo. "This - this is the year you were born." He nodded. "So you- your family is from Bulgaria?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" He looked at her eagerly. "I must be related to the Krums!"

"I wish that Mr. Kay had just told us," Madison said bitterly, sliding the book back to him. "I know it's important to find your family," she added, noticing he looked briefly dejected. She let her head drop onto her arms. "This was supposed to be easier," she mumbled. "Destroy horcruxes, befriend Harry, defeat you-know-who. Not magical issues and secret adoptions and mysterious mages. Time travel is hard."

"What are you talking about?" Madison jerked her head up to see Hermione staring at them, having heard everything.

"Well shit," Theo muttered under his breath.

"Hermione, I can explain-"

"Unless it's the truth don't waste your breath," Hermione informed her, sitting down next to her and crossing her arms. " Please. I'd like to know what explanation you have."

"Maybe we could go up to Dumbledore's office?" Madison suggested weakly. "Theo, go get Percy and meet us there in ten minutes?" Theo nodded and took off and Madison looked back at Hermione. "Please come with me, we'll explain everything."

"You'll explain time travel," Hermione said doubtfully, and Madison could only nod. "Fine." She stood up and waited for Madison to walk, and she did, leading her to the Headmaster's office, all the while her heart pounding. What had she done?

"So that's why you're always hanging out with Percy," Hermione said, looking at the redhead in question, who simply nodded. "I don't understand. How bad was it that you came back in time?"

"Everyone was dead, or almost," Madison said softly. "If we failed - it couldn't have been worse than that, really. It was worth it, I think, just seeing Hogwarts in one piece."

"What happened to Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked in alarm, and Theo looked over at him. Surely they'd mentioned Hogwarts had been partially destroyed?

"Fiendfyre," Percy said finally. "It was destroyed the day Harry Potter died."

"By who?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.

"A student," was all Percy said, and none of them could elaborate further, for the student in question hadn't done it yet, and in fact had died casting it.

"Miss Granger, I trust you know enough to keep all of this to yourself?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward in her chair. The girl hesitated, and the intense look on his face grew. "Miss Granger, if this news gets out, you risk thousands of lives."

"I - not even Ron or Harry?"

Madison shook her head. "No, I'm sorry Hermione. You weren't even supposed to find out. We can obliviate you, if you wish, so you don't have to keep secrets from your friends, but-" Hermione was shaking her head vehemently.

"I can - I'll keep it to myself," she reassured them, but she looked nervous.

"I think occulamency would be a grand idea," Dumbledore said casually, looking at Hermione over the tops of his glasses. "I can set up lessons with Professor Snape-"

"Professor Snape?" Hermione asked nervously.

"In order for you to do that, he would need to be let in on the secret. Can we be sure his own shields would hold up against Voldemort?" Theo wanted to know, sitting on the edge of his seat and eyeing Dumbledore intently.

"I swear to you, I trust Severus with my life."

Madison sighed, thinking it over. It would be simpler to obliviate Hermione rather than allowing her and Professor Snape in on their secret, but she couldn't do that to the girl. She knew Severus could be trusted, she still could see him attacked by Malfoy for defending a muggleborn girl, his own curse slicing him in half hours after surviving what should have killed him - Nagini's bite. "I - " Everyone looked at her. "I want to speak to him myself, alone, if we are to allow him to know about all of this."

They had agreed, and so an hour later Madison found herself standing outside Professor Snape's office, having knocked and now waiting for the dour professor to answer. After a minute there was a soft "enter," and she walked in, twisting her hands in front of her.

"Miss Reyes, how may I help you?" Snape asked, setting aside what looked like essays he'd been grading. Madison didn't answer at first, her mind going through what she was about to say. "Miss Reyes if this is about your boomslang skin essay-"

"No, no," Madison said quickly. "It's - uhm - well-"

"I do not have all afternoon."

She took a deep breath. "It's about the fact Vol- Voldemort will be returning in about three years."

She'd never seen the potions master so flabbergasted in either time line.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"Headmaster, I demand that you deal with this child," Professor Snape growled, thrusting Madison into the headmaster's office ahead of him. Madison snatched her arm away and glared, crossing her arms.

"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, sitting back in his chair. "And what has Miss. Reyes done, exactly, that requires you to manhandle her?"

Madison could tell the potions master was livid. But of course, there had been no other way to break the news, she found, then simply blurting out the truth. At least nothing that would be easier. But she gave Dumbledore a small grin. "I told him."

Dumbledore leaned forward. "Have a seat, Severus." But the potions master could only stare at the headmaster incredulously.

"You believe this? Time travel?" he demanded, his voice sharp. Dumbledore nodded, again gesturing to the chair settled on the other side of his desk. After a long pause, the dark haired man threw himself down into it, crossing his own arms and tapping his foot, clearly irritated.

"I have gone through her memories myself - hers, and Theodore Nott's, and Percy Weasley's," Dumbledore's voice was still calm as he went on. "There would be no reason for any of them to lie about this, nor indeed would they be old enough at their apparent ages to make up the things they say have happened."

But Snape shook his head. "Somehow they've brainwashed you, headmaster. This is quite impossible, and I refuse-"

"You were in love with Lily Evans," Madison blurted. Both men looked at her, and she continued on before she lost her nerve. "She - well, she thought that you were turning dark, and then in your fifth year - after the OWLs - you called her a mudblood, and you never spoke to her again."

"You could have found out that information anywhere," Snape hissed, but his face was pale.

"After you went to you-know-who with the prophecy you overheard from Sybil Trelawney, you turned to Dumbledore because you found out that it would affect Lily. Then she died, and you vowed to protect her son. In three years, _he_ returns, and in the original timeline, you would go back as Dumbledore's spy. In five years, you are forced to kill Dumbledore, and in six years, Lucius Malfoy kills you after you-know-who failed, when you were seen protecting one of the Hogwarts students on the so called wrong side of the war."

Even Dumbledore was silent after her speech, and Snape looked flabbergasted. It took a long while before either of them spoke again.

"Why are you telling me this?" Snape finally questioned, rising, shaking, from the seat Dumbledore had offered him. He looked as if he was ready to flee.

Truth be told, Madison did not blame him. After all, if she'd been an adult and an eleven year old had told her all of that - she'd run away herself. She knew she had to respond. "Honestly?" The potions master gave her a sharp nod. "Honestly because you needed to know. And we need your help."

Snape scoffed. "My help?"

Maddie looked him straight in the eyes, releasing her mental shields and letting him see the future they were trying to prevent. He flinched back. "Yes," she said. "Your help."

It was a pale Harry and Hermione that entered the common room two weeks later. Hermione had just had her first occulamency lesson from Professor Snape right before detention, so she hadn't even had the chance to let Madison or Theo know how it went.

"What happened?" Madison questioned, looking from one face to another. And Harry explained - how their detention was set for the forbidden forest to search for what had killed the unicorn, and what had occured while there.

"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort," he concluded, throwing himself into one of the chairs. "And Voldemort's waiting in the forest. And all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich-"

"Stop saying the name!" Ron snapped, but Harry ignored him.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so. Bane was furious, he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen. They must show that Voldemort is coming back. Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me. I suppose that's written in the stars as well. So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the stone-"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted, her voice quiet. "Everyone says Dumbledore's the only one you-know-who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, you-know-who won't touch you."

Madison and Theo exchanged a look. Harry was still blaming Snape, of course, as he didn't have a reason not to. She was sure this would change soon, but for now, she let it go.

The group continued to talk long into morning, talked until they were falling asleep where they sat, talked until their throats were sore.

Suddenly, it was time for exams, and just as suddenly, they were over. Madison wasn't too worried; neither were Theo or Percy. They'd spent the past month reviewing the year's worth of lessons, taking a break from their other research in order to make sure they passed their classes.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione took their exams, but they seemed distracted about them, Harry in particular.

As they left their History of Magic exam, Hermione sank with visible relief. "That was far easier than I thought it would be," she stated, as they joined the crowd heading out onto the grounds. "I needn't have learned about-"

"Hermione," Madison interrupted, stopping in her tracks. The others stopped too, looking at her. "Please, we don't all feel the need to go over our exams, okay? Give us an hour and then you can talk our ears off about what you learned that you didn't need to, okay?"

Hermione let out a small laugh but agreed, and so the group wandered down to the lake and flopped underneath a tree. Madison watched Ron's twin brothers and their best friend, Lee Jordan, tickling the tentacles of the giant squid. It seemed they all were enjoying the freedom of post-exams.

"No more studying," Ron said gleefully, stretching out. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

"Ron's right," Theo said, nudging Harry's arm. "We can relax now."

"I wish I knew what this means," Harry's outburst slightly startled Madison, and she looked at him with wide eyes. He was rubbing his forehead. "My scar keeps hurting. It's happened before, but never like this."

"You could go see Madame Pomfrey?" Madison suggested, but Harry just shook his head, frustrated.

"I'm not ill. I think it's warning something."

"Warning you about what?" Theo questioned, eyebrows raised.

But Ron wasn't having it. "Harry, relax. The stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof that Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to be in a hurry to try again."

"There's something important I'm forgetting," Harry said, looking up at the others. "Something I forgot to do."

"That's just the exams," Hermione reassured him. "I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd already done that one."

"You mean before I reminded you," Madison said with a laugh. Hermione snorted.

But Harry sat there, staring off into space, shaking his head. "It's not the exams." They sat in silence for a minute before Harry suddenly jumped to his feet, startling Madison.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, his voice sleepy.

"I've just thought of something." His face was pale, and Madison eyed him with concern as he suddenly took off down the path. The rest of the group scrambled to their feet, trying to keep up with him. "We've got to go see Hagrid."

"Why?" Hermione panted as they trudged up the slope.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry questioned, "That what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wonder around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why Didn't I see it before?"

"Harry, what on Earth are you talking about?" Madison asked, slipping a little in the grass. Theo caught her arm and she gave him a brief smile.

But Harry didn't answer; he took off running down the grounds towards Hagrid's hut. With an exasperated groan, Hermione and Ron took off after him.

"Well, this should be fun," Theo said cheerfully, as he and Madison joined them. Hagrid was sitting outside, shelling peas.

"Hullo," he said with a friendly smile. Madison nervously smiled back; she still had a hard time interacting with him since coming back in time, after witnessing his death at the hands of giants. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes please," Ron said eagerly, but Harry shook his head firmly.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert?"

"Harry, you don't think-" Madison began, but Harry cut her off.

"What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

Hagrid shrugged. "Dunno, he wouldn't take his cloak off. It's not that unusual in the Hog's head," He added, seeing Ron, Harry, and Hermione eying each other.

As the conversation went on, Madison and Theo caught each other's gaze. Madison wasn't sure what the other time traveler was thinking, but the only thing she had running through her mind was _Finally_. It had taken them all school year to get to this point, and Madison still couldn't believe all that had happened _before_ the three of them got to the stone.

In fact, she was thinking so hard she nearly didn't hear Hagrid tell them the secret to Fluffy - playing him music and he'd fall right to sleep - and she almost missed Harry, Ron, and Hermione taking off. With another glance towards Theo, they took off behind them.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," Harry said. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy - and it was either Snape or Voldemort -"

"What if it wasn't?" Hermione said meeky, earning a stare from Harry and Ron. "We don't know for _sure_ Snape is after the stone-"

"We're pretty sure it is," Ron said snidely.

"Where's Dumbledore's office?" Harry asked suddenly, looking around. After a moment, he sighed. "We'll just have to-"

"What are you five doing inside?" Professor McGonagall had come around the corner, carrying a large pile of books. Her eyes caught Madison's, and she just shrugged.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said bravely.

A thought hit Madison suddenly. Hermione _knew_ they were time travellers. Why hadn't she just asked Theo or her who was after the stone?

Then she realized. Because they'd sent Hermione to study under Snape, she must know they trusted him completely, which meant he wasn't the one after the stone. If Snape had assisted in bringing you-know-who back, they wouldn't have gone near him.

A crash jolted her out of her thoughts, and she blinked, confused, at McGonagall, who'd dropped the books she'd been holding. "How do you know-?" She glanced at Theo, who shook his head slightly.

"Professor, I think- I know - that Sn-" Hermione coughed, earning a glare, but Harry continued. "-That someone's going to try to steal the stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

McGonagall looked suspicious, but she relented. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she stated calmly. "I don't know how you found out about the stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

Ron, Harry, and Hermione just looked at each other.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"That went well," Madison said dryly, as she and Theo sat with Percy in the room of requirement hours later. She and Theo had taken off shortly after the conversation with McGonagall, and they'd learned of their decision to go guard the stones themselves. Madison flat out informed them it was a ridiculous idea, and that she'd wait to inform Dumbledore in the morning, that the three of them could risk expulsion but she wouldn't.

So they'd gone down the trapdoor, without her or Theo. She wasn't too worried; they'd done it alone before. Percy was nervous; while Ron hadn't been seriously hurt the first time around, there was every chance they'd changed enough that this time it would be worse. They had no way of knowing. Part of Madison had wished she'd gone down there with them anyway, despite what changes would have happened.

What bothered her was only Hermione would understand the real reason why the two of them hadn't gone with the rest. After all, the other muggleborn was smart. She must have realized the real reason Theo and Madison hadn't gone down with them - that they knew everything would turn out fine.

But the waiting was torture. It was nearly midnight when Madison gave up and went to bed, and of course, Hermione wasn't there.

The next morning, by the time she and Theo got to the Great Hall, rumors were already flying about. As Madison filled her plate with pancakes, she had to laugh a bit at what people were saying.

Apparently Ron had defeated chess pieces eight stories high - or so they were saying. Madison couldn't help but shake her head at Lavender, who had been whispering this latest fact to Parvati. Harry, rumor stated, was lying in a coma after Quirrell had attacked him for no reason - and there were others. After finishing her plate, she stood, whispered to Theo where she was going, and headed to the hospital wing.

Hermione was sitting up in one of the beds, a book in her lap as she talked with Dumbledore. They both saw her enter, and Dumbledore bid them both goodbye, and Madison took his seat, with a glance over at Ron and Harry's still forms.

"They haven't woken up yet," Hermione told her. "Ron's under a sleeping potion, and Harry - Pomfrey says his body went through shock, so he probably will be unconscious for awhile."

"Three days," Madison said softly, looking back over at the black haired boy. Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise, and Madison could only grin sheepishly. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Hermione said quickly, shutting the book in her lap, giving Madison a glance at the title. Mind Magic. Hermione caught her glance. "Professor Snape's - his training is difficult. I have to be able to clear my mind first, he says, but I don't know how to do that," she said, her voice frustrated. She looked up at Madison. "How did you do it? How did you learn?"

"Meditation," Madison said quietly, stifling a yawn. "In the muggle world, really, is where I started, with a classical cassette, just focused on the music and didn't let any thoughts through. It's worth a shot, over the summer. You've got a little while before you'll actually need occulamency, after all, since Professor Snape and Dumbledore both know. The only person you need to worry about is you-know-who, and he won't -" She stopped talking, seeing Hermione staring at her with wide eyes. ."Anyway, you've got a few years," she added, with a shrug.

"Oh," Hermione said softly, chewing on her lip. "How - I just don't understand how it was that bad that you would risk everything?"

"Hermione." Madison paused, aware they'd already had this conversation, but to a twelve year old, reliving your life must be a hard thing to grasp. "It's not like we gave up anything, really," she said slowly, twisting her bracelet around her wrist as she tried to find the words to explain. "We were days away from you-know-who finding our safe house and destroying us. You - you and Ron - you were all that was left of the people actually fighting back. The rest of us - we gave up. Don't get me wrong, we did have our reasons. Theo was hurt, Percy - he'd just lost his wife, and I - I had no family, as far as I knew the man I love was dead, and I was just surviving. It was bad, Hermione. Take the worst thing that you can imagine, and times that by eight. That is how bad it was, and that is why we are here. It had to change."

Someone cleared their throat near the door, and Madison turned her head to see Snape standing in the doorframe, a look she couldn't place on his face. "I just came to bring Poppy her extra potions." He hesitated. "You said I was dead, in your future." Madison nodded shortly. "How?" Madison hesitated this time. "I know how," he amended quickly. "I suppose the real question is, why? What happened?"

Madison eyed Hermione. "Professor, maybe we should take this somewhere else, and I'll tell you more, I promise I will."

"Why can't I know?" Hermione demanded.

"Because I don't want to give you nightmares," Madison said bluntly. The girl flinched back. "I have nightmares still," she said, in a softer tone. "Professor Snape - he - well, he's experienced horror, and so it wouldn't affect him as much. You - you're so young."

"Okay," Hermione said quietly.

Percy, Theo, Madison, and Professor Snape sat in the latter's office, silence filling the space around them. "Are you sure you want to know?" Percy asked him finally, crossing his legs and staring him straight in the face. The potions master gave him a short nod, and Percy looked over at Madison, as if asking her to begin.

And so she told him, of the chamber of secrets and Sirius Black (which earned a scoff, but also got a promise that the man wouldn't let his past grudges affect Sirius earning his freedom, after he learned of the consequences and why, exactly, they needed Grimmauld Place), and of the Triwizard tournament.

Percy explained about you-know-who's return, and the ministry's take over of Hogwarts. But it was Theo who explained of the difficult part - of Draco Malfoy assignment to kill Dumbledore, of how he didn't succeed in that but killed four students and three teachers while fleeing Hogwarts the night Snape himself did the deed.

Snape had them stop here, as he stood up and paced his office. Madison could only watch him with sympathy. Knowing what the man had sacrificed for Draco Malfoy - who turned to the dark side anyway - was painful. "Professor-" Madison said slowly, but he just held up a hand, pausing by the fireplace. After a minute, she tried again. "You didn't - Malfoy was too far gone, then, but you saved other people. You saved so many lives."

But Snape caught her eyes. "It was not enough, was it?"

It was Percy who shook his head. "Voldemort had too much power. It was over, and you - you were killed, and there was nothing anyone could do. We tried, many people tried, but it was over."

Suddenly, they were going home for summer. With promises to write, they separated on the platform, going to their different families. Madison caught Theo's look as he walked over to his father, and she wondered briefly what he planned to do after what he'd found out that year.

Seeing her own father, however, knocked those thoughts out of her mind, dragging in the scene of his death - and she hurriedly got them off the platform and onto the muggle side of things, where he would be safe.

He was understandably confused, but she just brushed it off as eager to get home. He shoved her trunk in the car and got in the driver's seat, looking over at her as she shut the door behind her. "Mads, what's going on?" he asked her gently, shifting in his seat so they were facing each other. "I barely heard you these last several months, and I missed you. I'm glad you're home."

She smiled. "I am too." She let out a sigh. "It was just a rough year, dad. I was behind on everything so I really was just trying to catch up and stuff. I'm sorry."

He said nothing, starting the car. After a minute, he spoke. "I don't want to lose you, Mads, even though I know you belong in that world. Just remember you belong in mine too?"


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

The first week of summer dragged by. Madison didn't receive any mail from Percy or Theo; she assumed Percy was spending as much time as he possibly could with his family, and Theo - well, she didn't know if he was going to confront his father or not. They hadn't had much time alone together since everything happened with the stone, and Theo had refused to tell her his plans. Madison wasn't sure if he even had a plan or not.

It was mid June when she received her first piece of mail from Percy.

Madison,

I've charmed this parchment so that only the intended target can read it - you know the spell, it isn't invented yet. Completely undetectable, which is very useful for us. None of the current revealing charms will do the job, as the one that will also isn't invented yet.

It is strange being home again among my family. Mum and dad are just the same as they always were, but mum's hair is red again, and dad - it is a relief to see him on his feet, to see him as a whole man instead of what he was when we left.

Ginny is so in love with Harry Potter - or rather, the idea of Harry Potter. The real love won't come for another five years, when she knows the true Harry instead of the famous boy.

I haven't heard from Theo yet. It was in the Daily Prophet that the Notts went to Bulgaria for the summer, so perhaps that may be a clue as to what is going on with him. I do hope all is well.

I've got to get going. I still have some of my summer homework left to do, as I've been doing more research on Grindelwald. I think dad is concerned, but I told him it was just for History of Magic, as everyone knows Binns doesn't actually teach anyone anything. As far as he knows, I am attempting to compare the reigns of Grindelwald and Voldemort.

I hope to hear from you soon,

Percy

After a long thought, she took her quill and responded.

Percy,

I haven't heard from Theo either. Or anyone else, actually, yours is the first letter I've received all summer. I'm sure he's fine, we would have heard otherwise.

I am ready to go back to Hogwarts, unfortunately. My dad's been great - but he's pushing me to tell him everything I did over the school year, and I don't think some of the things that happened he's ready to hear. I should be honest with him, but he's a muggle. How can he understand what we've gone through? How do I tell him I watched him die - that I watched everyone die - and his eleven year old is really in her twenties? My own dad is only mentally ten years older than I am!

I am sure your parents will understand everything when we are allowed to tell them, even about your research into Grindelwald. If I had access, I'd look into it myself, but all I have available are muggle libraries. When I get to Diagon later in the summer, I plan on sneaking into Knockturn. I don't want to hear your complaints - one of us has to do it, and it might as well be me. I need to look into their collection of books like I wanted before Christmas.

Reminder to not let slip what you know is happening with Harry. If Ginny doesn't get that diary from Lucius Malfoy on that specific day, we have no idea of telling what will change. Of course, I am sure I don't really need to remind you, but just to be safe -

"Madison." She turned to see her dad standing at her door, an envelope in his hand addressed to her. He held it out, and she took it, noticing it had her aunt's handwriting. "She's asked that you visit her this summer. She has something important to discuss with you." Madison's heart sank.

She hadn't given her Aunt Marie much thought since being back in time - her aunt, who was to die this coming year of cancer. Why hadn't she put much thought into it? Maybe there was something to do for her? There was no way of telling. But she opened the envelope and scanned the letter, so intent on it she didn't realize her father had picked up the half written letter on the desk. A loud clunk startled her, and she jumped, seeing he had knocked over her stack of books.

"Dad, I can explain-"

But he held out a hand and walked out, the letter still in his hand.

"Shit. Shit!"

* * *

Her father didn't speak with her for days. Madison nearly constantly paced, not sure how to bring up the subject - how to begin it. She did sneak into his room and take back the letter, finishing it up with what had happened and sending it off, but she hadn't yet gotten a response.

It was the last day of the month when her father finally came into her bedroom, sitting down at her desk while she sat on her bed, not saying anything for a long while.

"I would like to believe it was a joke," he began slowly. "Or part of a story. But judging by how you've acted since going to this school of yours, I can only think that it is the truth. Isn't it?" Madison nodded slowly, sadly. He let out an exhale, looking up at her ceiling. "What - what happened? How are you twenty something? Can you explain that?"

"Would you believe in time travel?" Madison questioned, and again he exhaled slowly. "Dad, I-"

"Madison, I cannot do this." He looked her straight in the face, and her heart sank. "You need to go stay somewhere else for the remainder of the summer. I do not want you in my home."

"Dad-"

"No, Madison. I was prepared to lose you ten months out of the year. I knew that would happen. But I've lost ten years of your life without warning and I'm not okay with it. Pack your things. Go stay at a friend's house. Somewhere that's not here." And he stood up and walked out of her room, leaving her mentally destroyed.

The Weasleys were there within an hour. She wrote Percy, claiming her father had asked to read her history of magic books and had therefore decided he wasn't prepared to have a witch as a daughter and had kicked her out of the house - "at least for this summer," she'd written. "He needs time." - and Percy had gone to his parents, and the Weasleys were never people to turn anyone out.

She was settled in by noon, an extra bed put in the youngest Weasley's room for her to sleep on. She hadn't spoken to anyone yet; how could she find the words to explain the real reason her father couldn't handle her being a witch? It was something so awful that even in every scenario they'd run across before traveling back, this had never been imagined.

It took three days before she told Percy what had happened, and the older boy agreed that it was terrible. But he understood it, too.

"He just found out that he's missed ten years out of your life, Maddie, ten years he can never get back. And in those ten years something happened that was so terrible you left your whole life behind to relive these years. It's bad, yes, but it's as you said. He just needs time."

"How much, do you think?" Madison asked with a small sigh, leaning her head back against a tree. The two of them were out by the Weasley's Quidditch pitch, attempting to get some privacy. "I mean, I am still his daughter. Part of this I did for him, and he just tossed me aside," she added bitterly.

"To be fair, if it was your child-"

"I'd probably do the same," she admitted. "I'm tempted to write to Dumbledore. Maybe he could be obliviated or something. He doesn't need this shock in his life, and honestly it would be better if he didn't even remember me at all."

"That's your choice," Percy informed her, but the look in his eyes told her he thought it was a bad idea. "You would have a home here for as long as you needed it."

Madison smiled at him gratefully as an owl swooped down in front of them, dropping a letter in Percy's lap before leaving again. Madison recognized Theo's handwriting as Percy ripped it open. After scanning the parchment, he handed it silently over to her.

Percy:

My brother is Viktor Krum. I still am having trouble coming to terms with it, and it has been two weeks since we've found out. My father - my adoptive one, I mean - told me the truth when I asked him directly. I told him about the newspaper we found at Hogwarts, about the Krums adopting a baby, and he confessed immediately. I have to be honest, it still came as a shock to me.

There's something else, as well, something that I am having trouble understanding. I hope you are sitting down for this.

Gellert Grindelwald had a child with Ariella Krum. That child was my true grandfather, making Grindelwald himself my great-grandfather. They never married, so my grandfather - and Viktor's - still kept the Krum name.

We are still in the Krum manor, and there are books and papers from him. I haven't had the chance to go through them myself, as I am sure everyone would become suspicious if I did. However, I did find out that once school begins, the manor will be completely empty, and since I am of the Krum bloodline, you and I (and Madison, of course) can come back here during a free weekend and go through them. I can only hope that something here can benefit us, and if it does, at least all of this has gotten us one step closer to our goal.

And to think, none of this would have happened if Lucius Malfoy hadn't cursed me. Suppose I should go and thank the bloody death eater?

Theo

"Merlin," Madison breathed, finally reaching the end. She looked up, catching Percy's eyes. "This is - just -"

"Yeah," was Percy's response. "Just - yeah."


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

The summer continued to pass without another letter from Theo. Or Harry. Ron was moping around the house, and had to be told multiple times that yes, they were positive Harry didn't just abandon him, that there was something keeping the boy from writing back, and to stop worrying so damn much (this last part came from Percy, after listening to Ron's rant for the twentieth time).

Hermione, too, expressed worry in her letters to Madison, but Madison simply wrote back that she was sure everything was fine and that they'd hear from Harry sooner or later. The other muggleborn took this as a sign that all was well.

But then, a couple of nights after Harry's birthday, Madison woke up and happened to look out the window just in time to see a car - clearly under the influence of an under age driver - take off into the sky, and she bit back a snort, crawling back to bed. The twins and Ron would be in so much trouble, she was aware, but at least she knew they'd come back safe.

The next morning, Molly descended on her youngest three boys with such wrath Madison hid in hers and Ginny's room, too afraid to come out. Ginny seemed unconcerned, though; she would have experienced this side of Molly Weasley more than Madison ever would.

The Weasleys began making plans to go to Diagon Alley within a week, after their Hogwarts letters arrived - Harry's and Madison's along with the normal Weasley ones. Reading the list of Lockhart books had her break into a fit of laughter at the breakfast table, a fit none of the others understood except for Percy, who looked himself as if he was attempting not to laugh.

Madison would never admit it to anyone but those who had known at the time, but she'd had a huge crush on Lockhart once learning he was coming to Hogwarts - a crush that broke within the first lesson with the man. It came as no surprise that his only skill set was the memory charm. After all, the man had no clue how to teach nor how to truly use defensive spells.

But she couldn't say any of this under Molly's watchful gaze, as she was reminded calmly by Percy later that Molly took every word Lockhart wrote to heart - even the things that were obviously wrong in his books.

It got to the point where she couldn't be in the same room with Molly whenever Lockhart's name was brought up - each time it set her off into a fit of giggles, which then set Percy to jabbing her in the ribs. It really was safer for her to go to a different room. And less painful.

As they all gathered around the fireplace about to head to Diagon Alley, Madison felt a little nervous. It had been years since she'd traveled by floo powder, and her plan to go to knockturn did make her stomach twist a little. She had Harry's invisibility cloak in her pocket; Percy had snuck in to get it for her under the guise of making sure Harry and Ron had finished their summer assignments.

She zoned out as Harry went through, then it was her turn. Molly eyed her carefully. "Are you sure you know how to use it?" she asked.

Madison nodded. "I've got it, thanks," she said. She took some of the floo powder. "Diagon Alley!"

Madison had forgotten how much she hated traveling by floo. She hadn't had the chance to in years, and so she was quite out of practice. Not that traveling by floo was really something you could practice, but having experience certainly helped.

When she came out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, she dusted herself off, spotting Ron standing off to the side, waiting for the others. She joined them, waiting for everyone else to come through. It was then she suddenly realized Harry wasn't with Ron. She stared at Ron blankly. "Didn't Harry come through?"

Ron paled, shaking his head slowly. Madison bit her lip, looking around the dim bar. She had about a moment to wonder if they'd changed something to have Harry vanish - when Percy came through, noticed she and Ron standing alone, and seemed unconcerned. But when Molly and Arthur came through, they had a fit, Molly immediately attempting to set up a search party.

"He'll be here, mum, don't worry," Percy said calmly. "He choked a little on the smoke, perhaps he's just gone through the next grate." Molly looked unconvinced, but they went on their way. "Mum, I'm going to Florish and Blotts, if that is okay? I have a few books to look at and I will be awhile. You can pick up the rest of my things, can't you?" Molly nodded absentmindedly, and Percy looked to Madison. "Would you like to come with me? I can help you find those magical history books you were talking about over Christmas."

"Erm-"

"Great idea," Arthur said cheerfully, clapping his son on the back. "We'll meet up in, say, two hours? If you find Harry don't let him leave your side!"

They agreed and headed off in their separate directions. When they were a fair distance away from the rest of the Weasleys, Madison stopped and crossed her arms, glaring at Percy. "I told you I have to go to Knockturn," she hissed at him.

"And you will," He responded. "Go now, and I'll meet up with you in Florish. Try to be there before we meet up with my family, understand?" Madison nodded sharply, and took off, slipping into an alcove to drape the invisibility cloak over her.

The journey to Knockturn Alley was difficult, if mostly because being under the cloak, she had to avoid knocking into anyone. She nearly had a close call, but she slipped around Neville and his grandmother, who were intent in conversation, last minute. She finally made it to the entrance where Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley split, and she slipped down the dark street, with one last look behind her, making sure there was noone there who would be able to see her, despite the cloak.

Having never actually been in Knockturn Alley, she had to search for the book shop. She passed several shops that made her shudder. In one she thought she even saw the dark head of Harry Potter, but of course, he wouldn't be in Knockturn Alley.

Towards the end of the street she noticed a low hanging sign, "books," and she quietly pushed open the door. A single occupant was in there, standing behind the counter. The woman looked nervous as she called out, demanding to know who was there. Madison downed the polyjuice potion she'd kept in her pocket; the hair belonged to a muggle she'd come across during her brief stay at her father's house. Only once she felt the change was complete did she pull off the cloak, causing the shop attendant to jump.

"I need to see your books on soul magic," Madison said, dropping her voice as low as she could. The attendant stood and led her to one of the shelves, pointing at the bottom without a word. Madison eyed the shelf, scanning the titles. Nothing directly on horcruxes, but she had known it wouldn't be as simple as that. She slid one of the books off the shelf, a volume titled Achieving Immortality, and took it to the counter. The shopkeeper looked up at her, wide eyed, but rang her up. Madison paid, slipped the cloak back over her, and took off down the street, shrinking the book and shoving it into her pocket as she went.

She hung out in the bathroom of Florish and Blotts until she felt the polyjuice wear off, then rejoined the crowd, seeing Lockhart had taken center stage. She withheld her groan but went to where Percy was standing. He merely glanced over at her, not saying anything, as the rest of the Weasleys, in addition to Hermione and Harry, entered.

"You found him, mum," Percy said, raising his eyebrows.

"He was in Knockturn Alley, Percy," Fred exclaimed. Madison shot Harry a surprised look. So it had been Harry she'd seen.

"Out of the war, there," a short, angry looking man snapped at Ron, as he attempted to get around the group of Weasleys to take photos of Lockhart. "This is for the Daily Prophet."

"Big deal," Ron snapped back, rubbing his sore foot where the photographer had stepped on him.

Lockhart looked in their group's direction, and stared at Harry. "It can't be Harry Potter?" he practically shouted. Madison rolled her eyes as Harry was dragged to the front of the shop, where Lockhart slung his arm over the young boy's shoulder and announced to the gathered group that he would be at Hogwarts this coming year as the Defense professor. The crowd cheered, of course, as Harry was loaded down with a complete set of Lockhart's books, which, the moment he was away from the man, he dropped into Ginny's cauldron.

"You can have these," he mumbled. "I'll buy my own."

"Bet you loved that, eh Potter?" came a snide voice from behind them, and Madison couldn't help but groan as she turned to see Draco Malfoy strutting towards them. "Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

Madison bit back a retort, but little Ginny Weasley didn't. She glared at Malfoy. "Leave him alone. He didn't want all that."

Malfoy looked gleeful. "Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Poor Ginny flushed scarlet, making Malfoy's grin get bigger.

Ron and Hermione, arms full of books, made their way over. "Oh, it's you," Ron said, with a tone of disgust. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

Malfoy snorted. "Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all these."

"Hey," Madison snapped. "Just because a family doesn't have as much money as you doesn't mean they're lesser. In fact, I think the Weasleys are a better family."

"Shows what you know, mudblood," the blonde snapped back. Madison saw red, but before she could respond back, Ron had dropped his books into Ginny's cauldron and dove at Malfoy, knocking him to the ground. Harry's hands grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back, panting.

"Ron!" Mr. Weasley's voice came over the crowd. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

Malfoy got to his feet, glaring at Ron, as a figure came and stood behind him. Madison recognized Lucius Malfoy, and bit back a curse. She grabbed Hermione's arm and Ginny's, and the three of them made their way outside, leaving Ginny's cauldron behind.

When they got outside Madison was shaking, but she couldn't explain to the other two why, exactly. ""His father just makes me nervous," she said finally, after a long minute of them pushing. She'd barely gotten the words out when the rest of their group rushed out of the shop, Mr. Weasley's lip bleeding. "What...?"

"A fine example to set for your children," Mrs. Weasley snapped, turning on her husband. "Brawling in public!"

Madison shot Harry a look, who mouthed "Mr Malfoy," and she snorted, tuning out the rest of Mrs. Weasley's rant as the group headed back to the Leaky Cauldron.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

The rest of the summer went by quickly, and before Madison even realized, it was the morning of September first and she hadn't even had the opportunity to unshrink the book she'd bought in Knockturn, let alone read the thing.

They were running late, and barely made it to the platform in time. They all piled out of the Ford Angela (how they'd all fit in the first place was a mystery Madison wasn't entirely sure she wanted solved) and made their way towards the platform barrier. Percy went through first, followed by Madison and the twins. They hurried on to the train, and had made it to their seats before Madison turned to Percy, realizing Harry and Ron weren't with them. And then she remembered the rumors of them flying to Hogwarts, and she snorted.

"We'll see them at Hogwarts," Percy said quietly, laughing a little, as Theo slid open the compartment door and joined them. "Well hello, Mr. Krum." His comment earned a glare, and Madison resisted the urge to jump up and pull him into a hug, instead settling for a small wave. She ignored Percy's snort as Theo sank into the seat next to her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before the compartment door opened again and Ginny entered, looking nervous. "Mind if I sit with you guys? Only I can't find Ron, and Fred and George told me to bugger off."

Madison smiled. "Of course." The younger girl grinned, pulling a small leather bound book out of her robe pocket- the diary they'd had to turn around to get. Madison shot it a glance, and thought back to Percy's description of you-know-who's diary, which was black and had Tom Riddle embossed in the corner. This diary - this diary was red.

Madison blanked out for awhile. They'd messed up. They had really messed up. What would happen now was anyone's guess, but it wasn't like she could pull Percy aside and ask where the mess up had happened. Percy had never mentioned when Ginny got the diary, only that Lucius Malfoy had given it to her.

Oh. Oh no. Madison thought back to dragging Hermione and Ginny out of the shop with her in Diagon Alley, when they'd come across the Malfoys. Ginny hadn't been there, so perhaps Malfoy senior had ended up giving it to someone else. But who?

Theo must have realized Madison was being quiet, because all of a sudden he announced that he was going to go find Hermione and the others, and did Madison want to come with him? She quickly agreed, standing up and following him out, giving the Weasleys a brief wave as she went.

In a separate compartment, Theo turned to her. "What's wrong?"

"She doesn't have it. Her diary was red. His is black. She has the wrong one."

It took Theo a minute to understand what she was saying, and once he did, his face went pale. "So who has it?"

Madison could only shake her head. "I don't know."

The rest of the train ride, all Madison could think of was how badly she'd messed things up. They had relied on things staying the same up until now, hadn't they? And now -

When Theo noticed her getting lost in her thoughts, he'd nudge her arm, and though she really did try to keep from getting too distracted, she couldn't help herself. If this one little thing had messed everything up, then if they failed, it was all on her. All the deaths - they would be on her.

By the time they'd arrived at Hogwarts, Madison felt cold, empty, almost out of her body. She joined the others in the carriages to the front gate, not even feeling anything while seeing the thestrals for the first time in her life.

They reached the castle, and as they all trooped through to the Great Hall, Percy grabbed Madison's arm. "What is going on?" he hissed quietly, but the girl could only shake her head mutely, pulling away from him and sitting down at the Gryffindor table. She dropped her head onto her arms, vaguely listening to what was going on around her.

Rumors flew that Ron and Harry had gotten expelled and wouldn't be there this year; that an ex death eater had caught them before they could get on the train and took off with them. There was even a couple of Slytherins - led by Draco Malfoy, of course - saying they'd run off and eloped together. But not even this brought Madison out of her stupor, nor did the first years trudging in, nor did the sorting hat's song.

"Where's Snape?" Madison heard someone whisper, and she jerked her head up, looking at the row of teachers. Snape wasn't there, and Madison had a moment of panic before Theo nudged her arm and she remembered this, at least, had happened last time. She'd just had that discussion with Percy over the summer, the two of them racking their brains for every last detail they could come up with. She shook her head slightly, trying to keep things focused in her head. She couldn't let one mishap ruin everything else. She refused.

After the feast, they all started their trip up to the Gryffindor common room, and still there was no sign of Ron or Harry. It was floating around now that the duo had taken their father's flying car to Hogwarts to make a spectacular entrance, which was, of course, more the truth than anything else, although Madison couldn't help but snort at the idea that Harry had done it for attention.

When they reached the portrait - Hermione and Theo and Madison lagging behind the rest - Ron and Harry were standing there, looking blankly at each other.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Hermione practically screeched. "The most ridiculous rumors - someone said you'd been expelled for flying a car to school!"

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry said brightly, causing Madison to snort. Hermione shot her a glare before looking at Harry.

"You're not telling me you did fly here?" she demanded sternly.

"Skip the lecture," Ron snapped, and not for the first time, Madison was curious as to how those two ended up married and running the Order of the Phoenix. War did strange things, she supposed. "And tell us the password."

"It's wattlebird," Madison said quickly, trying to avoid an argument. Harry shot her a grateful look as the portrait opened, and a sudden storm of clapping filled the air.

"Brilliant!" Lee Jordan was shouting, as Madison slipped away from the group, heading up the stairs to her old dorm, where the sign now read "second years."

She opened her trunk and found the bag that held the shrunk copy of Achieving Immortality, and dropped it into her school bag. First chance she got, she planned to take it to the room of requirement to read through it, hoping to find anything on horcruxes that might help them.

She collapsed on her bed as the door swung open and Pavarti and Lavender came in, giggling over something. They saw Madison sitting there and gave her a little wave, heading into the bathroom, still giggling. All Madison could do was roll her eyes, turn over, and attempt to go to sleep.

* * *

As much as she would have loved to, Madison didn't skip breakfast the next morning, joining the others at the Gryffindor table and loading up her plate with eggs. She was in the process of shoveling a forkful in her mouth (having not really eaten much during the feast the night before) when Ron and Harry joined them. Hermione bid them morning, abit stiffly, while Neville greeted them eagerly. Madison managed a small wave with her free hand, when a rustling sound came from above them and she looked up to see the morning post coming through. And she was quite shocked to see a small owl drop in front of her, an owl she didn't recognize. She took the envelope from the bird and was about to open it when she heard Ron let out a strangled sound, and she looked up to see an owl laying on the table in front of him, a red envelope in its beak.

"Oh no," Ron moaned, as Hermione prodded the owl with a finger.

"It's alright, he's alive," she reassured him, but Ron just shook his head, pointing at the red envelope.

"It's a howler," Theo said, leaning forward. "You'd better open it, it'll only be worse if you don't."

Ron, his fingers shaking, took it from Errol's beak and carefully opened it. Moments later, Molly Weasley's voice echoed throughout the hall. "STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU-" As the howler went on, Madison finished eating and hurried out of the hall, but even with the double doors shut behind her she could hear Mrs. Weasley's roar.

She stood there, debating about going back in - she needed to get her schedule, after all- when Hermione came out and passed her the parchment. She scanned it, noting they had herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. "Thanks Hermione," Madison said, grinning at her. "That was some howler, wasn't it?"

Hermione snorted as they made their way down to the greenhouses, not saying anything, just walking in a companionable silence. By the time they reached them, the rest of their class was already waiting, minus Ron and Harry and Theo, waiting for Professor Sprout.

The boys had just joined them when they saw her, making her way across the yard, closely followed by Gilderoy Lockhart. Madison rolled her eyes, barely making out their conversation - it seemed he knew the perfect way to bandage the Whomping Willow. She, of course, knew this was all lies, and judging by Professor Sprout's face, she knew it too.

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" she called to them, interrupting Lockhart mid sentence. As they began following her in, Lockhart's hand shot out and he caught Harry by his upper arm.

"Harry! I've been wanting a word! You don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?" Judging by the herbology teacher's face, she did, in fact, but Lockhart simply grinned at her, pulling Harry away with him.

Madison rolled her eyes, sitting next to Theo in the greenhouse. Professor Sprout said nothing, waiting up by a trestle bench that held twenty pairs of earmuffs. Madison grinned at the sight of them, remembering her first lesson in repotting mandrakes - the Ravenclaws had attended the lesson with the Slytherins, and Malfoy had gotten his finger bitten. Unfortunately, not quite off. Now that would have been a lesson. She was chuckling to herself when Harry slipped in, settled in next to Ron and Hermione, and the lesson began.

As Professor Sprout - with Hermione's aid - told the class all about the mandrakes, Madison's mind wandered, not for the first time that morning. Was it just luck that Professor Sprout had gotten ahold of a group of Mandrake saplings the very year the chamber of secrets had opened? It had to have been, but out of curiosity, she raised her hand. Professor Sprout called on her.

"Sorry, I'm just curious. Where did you get the mandrakes, exactly? I know they're hard to come by and very expensive, aren't they?"

"You are correct, they are. This group was donated to the school by one of the school governors. Now -" and she went off, explaining that these were just babies, and their cries weren't powerful enough to kill yet, leaving Madison still confused.

* * *

When they finally broke for lunch, she hurried to the Room of Requirement, Theo on her heels. Neither of them were surprised to see Percy already there, a stack of books already gathered on the small table in between the chairs.

"The diary is here," Madison said, before either of them could speak.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Can you be sure? You weren't the only one to notice my sister's diary was not the one given to her by Lucius Malfoy."

"Mandrakes are expensive," Madison explained, but this clearly didn't help with the confusion, so she went on. "What are the odds a school governor would donate a group of mandrake saplings the very year the chamber of secrets is opened? Mandrakes are one of the key ingredients in the restorative potion, anyone who's made it through sixth year potions knows that! Lucius Malfoy must have donated them on the off chance his son gets petrified, because his wife cannot give him another heir, so Draco's it."

"We have no proof," Theo told her gently, sinking into the chair closest to the table and pulling a book off the top. "How would he even know that the restorative potion would work?"

"She may be right," Percy said slowly. "Voldemort - he's the heir of Slytherin. He may have told his followers what the monster in the chamber is, what it does." They sat in silence for a minute. "We'll just have to keep an eye out for the Horcrux. In the meantime, we still need to find an alternative way to get the horcrux out of Harry without killing him."

"We still have two years for that," Theo said. "Shouldn't we figure this diary situation out first? This could be bad - if Lucius didn't give it to a student, then the only other way to get the damned thing would be to break into Malfoy manor - or use my father's influence," he added suddenly. "He's still close to the Malfoy's, after all." There was a pause. "I suppose if the chamber isn't opened by Christmas, I'll go home this year, ask him if we can go to the Malfoy's annual new year's party, and go from there?"

"That's a back up plan," Madison said, sitting down herself at last. She drew her legs into the chair. "But - didn't he give the diary to Ginny as a way to bring ruin to your father?" She looked at Percy, who nodded. "So if he didn't give it to her this time-"

"We'll have to keep an eye out on the rest of my siblings," Percy finished, face pale. "Any one of them could have it. Ron, Fred, George-"

"Who's the most likely to keep a diary?" Theo questioned, and Percy sat back, thinking.

"Ron," he said finally. "Fred and George have each other to confide in, they've never needed anything or anyone else, certainly not a diary that could be read by someone else and all their pranks revealed. Actually, Ron did keep a diary before starting Hogwarts and meeting Harry."

"I can keep an eye out," Theo stated. "In fact - I'm going to skip defense, I think, and go through his trunk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, it's not like I'll miss much," he told them, and Madison let out a sharp laugh. "I could pass the second year exams with my eyes closed at this point without Lockhart."

"And if the rest of the year gets back on track, it's not like they'll even be any exams, minus the OWLs and the NEWTs," Madison added, then groaned. "Those poor students. Unless they do individual study they have no chance of getting good enough grades to do anything with defense after they graduate. Not with that man as the teacher," she said grimly.


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

It was nearly time for lunch to end when Madison suddenly remembered the letter she'd shoved into her bag. She waited for the other two to have left before she pulled it out, realizing nearly immediately the writing was her father's.

Dear Madison, he'd written.

Your Professor Dumbledore came to visit me over the summer while you were spending time at the Weasleys, and he left me this owl so I could communicate with you. Her name's Athena, after your mom's favorite goddess. I thought it would fit in this situation, don't you think?

I wanted to apologize to you. Learning you were a witch has been hard, but I shouldn't have asked you to leave our home because of it.

Madison froze. What was he talking about? They both knew the reason he'd kicked her out, he'd found out about her time travel. Unless - He mentioned Dumbledore.

What had Dumbledore done?

She exited, heading to McGonagall's classroom. Her class had just begun, and when the transfiguration teacher saw her waiting outside, she quickly said something and left.

"Is everything alright, Miss Reyes?" McGonagall questioned her softly.

She just shook her head. "I - I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore immediately." McGonagall looked back to her class, and Madison saw Percy watching them from his seat, a curious look on his face.

"Give me one moment," McGonagall said, poking her head back into the classroom and instructing Percy to keep an eye on the class, and for the class to read out of the textbook until she returned. "And I will quiz you on what you are supposed to have read," she added sharply. "So do not think you can get away with not reading." She shut the classroom door again and turned to Madison. "Let's go."

On the way to Dumbledore's office, Madison wondered what she was going to say. She had an idea of what the old man had done, of course, but she wanted to hear it from his lips. And so when they finally reached his office and she was sitting across from him, she couldn't find how to begin the subject. But Dumbledore's face when he beheld her told her everything, even before he opened his mouth.

"I believe I know what this is about," he said softly. Madison just stared at him as he folded his hands together. "I obliviated your father of all future knowledge. As far as he is aware, he kicked you out of your home due to being uncomfortable with your witch heritage."

"Albus! You didn't!" McGonagall gasped.

"You had no right," Madison hissed, her voice cold, her grip tight on her wand. "I should have you obliviated, if you continue to decide to do whatever it is you want to do without consulting anyone else. He is my father and I was handling the situation before you butted in!"

"Miss Reyes-"

"No," Madison interrupted, rising from her seat. "You will get no more information from me, and I will tell the boys the same." She looked at McGonagall. "If you tell him anything, you won't get any information either." She shook her head. "I knew we couldn't trust you." She stood up and left the headmaster's office without another word, ignoring the both of them calling her back.

Defense against the dark arts was halfway over, so she just headed up to the common room. Theo was sitting before the fireplace, writing in a book- a black, leather bound diary. She rushed over and snatched it out of his hands, noting as she did the name on the front - Tom Riddle.

"What are you doing?" She snapped at him, watching as the ink sank into the paper. "Theo!"

He blinked up at her. "What?"

"You were writing in - it," she finished lamely, holding up the diary. Theo looked at it, confused, slowly shaking his head as if coming out of a stupor.

"I - it was in Ron's trunk. I felt - drawn - to it." Theo reached out for it, but she held it out of his grasp. "I should put it back."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," she retorted, still holding it out of his reach. "You got pulled into it quickly. I think we should wait for Percy to help us come up with a plan." She stashed the diary in her bookbag, and sat there for a minute, wondering if perhaps they should just destroy it now, if the very act of having it in their possession was so tempting. She didn't think they really needed the diary in order to destroy horcruxes - but getting the sword imbued with basilisk venom was a simple way of doing things. She shook her head, letting the thoughts go. She'd wait for Percy's opinion.

But when they got to the room of requirement after dinner, he was pacing angrily. Madison and Theo exchanged a glance, going to sit down quietly. In fact, they didn't say a word until Percy finally turned to them.

"Penelope broke up with me," he told them, before running his hands through his hair and sinking into the seat. "She fu- she -" He took a shuddering breath. "I just cannot believe-" He stopped again, seeming to find it hard to gather the words he needed. "I'm not serious enough about my future," he said after a moment, laughing bitterly. "The future is all I can think of, but I'm not serious enough about it."

Madison had nothing to say as the three of them sat there. "Talk to her," she said finally. Percy just looked at her, shaking his head. "I mean it. Tell her. Everyone else knows so why shouldn't the love of your life?"

"Too many people know already," Percy snapped, running his hand through his hair. "Dumbledore, McGonagall," he ticked their names off on his fingers. "Snape, Hermione, your dad. We came back planning on telling no one."

"Well. My father doesn't know anymore, so you can replace him with Penelope." Percy stared at her. "Perc. You came back to save her life, specifically. It's okay if she knows. I don't care, and I'm sure Theo doesn't either." A look at the boy in question gave her the confirmation. "Besides, she can join Hermione in occulamency lessons with Snape, no problem." But Percy still looked doubtful, so Madison relented. "It's ultimately up to you."

"I'll think about it," Percy said quietly. He looked at her, fidgeting in his chair. "What did you mean that your father doesn't know anymore?"

"Ah. Well." Madison stood, pacing around the room a bit. "Dumbledore obliviated him."

Theo's head shot up. "He did what?"

Madison shrugged, stopping by one of the several bookshelves and scanning it, without really seeing any of the titles. "He went to my dad's house this summer and obliviated him. I don't know how he got away with it, but he did." Theo and Percy were staring at her, openmouthed, when she turned back around.

"But he - but the trace-" Theo stuttered, looking over at Percy, who seemed just as confused. "Surely - you would have received a letter. Or something."

"I don't know." Madison threw herself in the seat, leaning her head back. For a second, she was distracted by her hair tickling her arm, and she briefly mused over the fact that her hair really had grown since coming back in time, and that it was probably time to cut it, before her mind went back to the situation at hand. "I don't know how he did it," she repeated. "But he did. He admitted to it. And I've informed him he no longer has my trust, or yours, but that part is completely up to you. I also said that I will no longer be keeping him in the loop with anything, and that if McGonagall tells him anything we say, then I will not keep her in the loop, either. Unfortunately, Hermione will have to get better at Occulamency before she learns anything else, so the situations at hand, we will either have to solve ourselves or go to Professor Snape."

After her mini speech, Percy and Theo looked at each other, before Percy spoke. "What other situation do we have going on, again?"

"We have the diary." Percy's mouth dropped open, and he looked quite like a fish as he glanced between Madison and Theo. "Theo found it in Ron's trunk, and decided, apparently, the best course of action would be to write in the damned thing." Percy still moved his mouth, apparently deciding how to go from there.

It took awhile, but he finally spoke. "We have to get it to Ginny." He took a breath. "It's the best way to assure things don't go beyond our control. Madison, you can make the switch?" He looked over at her, and after a minute, she nodded.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

Sneaking into the first year's dorm wasn't hard, Madison found. It wasn't even leaving that was difficult, after she'd charmed the diary to look like Ginny's real one and left. What was difficult was the guilt when she faced the youngest Weasley later that night. She couldn't imagine what the young girl had gone through in the prior timeline, and they were putting her through it now. They'd debated giving it back to Ron; but there was no way of knowing which option would destroy the timeline the most.

Time went on, however, and nothing too interesting happened, other than Hermione getting called a mudblood and Ron jinxing Malfoy for it - or attempting to. Madison had no pity when she learned the boy had been spitting up slugs. What did he expect would happen, with his broken wand?

They went to classes, came back, did their homework, and repeated the next day. Madison still had the book tucked away in her bag, but she didn't read it; she wanted to wait until both Percy and Theo were able to be there.

But Percy was busy trying to get Penelope to talk to him again without telling her the truth, and it wasn't quite going how he wanted it to. Madison kept telling him to just be honest, but he was under the impression that she couldn't handle it. Madison didn't honestly know whether the other girl could or not, never having spoken to her for longer than a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Theo was researching the Krums more. Viktor wasn't famous yet; he was only playing at Durmstrang. Theo had told them Viktor had mentioned in passing that he had an audition for a Bulgarian quiddditch team Madison had never heard of. This had made her chuckle, as Viktor had also said there was little chance he'd make it.

It was the morning of Halloween, and Madison still hadn't written her father back. What could she say? She had no idea how much that blasted headmaster had removed from his memory, so what if she mentioned something he didn't know? Questions would be raised, and she didn't have the energy to answer them. She now regretted telling Dumbledore anything; he may have done the ritual for Theo, but that was the only benefit they'd had, and she was sure she and Percy could have done it themselves.

She didn't mention this to either of the boys, however. They'd all agreed Dumbledore was not to learn any more secrets, and so far he hadn't approached them. McGonagall had; she'd asked to be notified if anything urgent came up with their task, and that, despite how she felt, she wouldn't breathe a word to Dumbledore. Madison had thanked her quietly, then gone on to her next class.

Hermione's occulamency lessions were going well. At least, that was what Snape said. Madison and Hermione hadn't talked - about the future, anyway. They'd had a few discussions, but nothing of importance, mostly lessons and how the boys were idiots - Ron especially.

Madison noticed, towards the beginning of October, that poor Ginny was starting to be paler than normal, and Percy sent her to Madame Pomfrey for a pepper up potion. "It won't really help," he noted sadly to Madison, later. "But I don't know how else to help her." Madison had just shrugged, unsure herself how to help. It was all her fault, after all.

"Mrs. Norris on Halloween, Justin and Nick after the dueling club, then Hermione and Penelope before the last Gryffindor Quidditch match, right?" Theo had noted, looking up at Madison as they sat in the Gryffindor Common Room late the prior night. Madison had just absently nodded.

But Halloween passed, leaving the three in a state of fear. What would happen now?

"She's definitely writing in it," Percy stated the next morning, pacing, again, in the room of requirement. "She's too pale, missing classes, failing potions according to Professor Snape-"

"Then why hasn't the chamber opened?" Madison questioned, tapping her fingers on the desk she was doing her homework on. "It was supposed to be open last night-"

"Maybe she hasn't had the diary long enough for Voldemort to take her over," Theo suggested, looking up from his own desk. "She originally got the diary when she ran into Lucius Malfoy over the summer. Perhaps she started writing in it immediately last time-"

"So the horcrux had an extra month to take over her mind," Madison concluded with a groan, dropping her head down. "I should've just-"

"You had no way of knowing," Percy said, when Madison didn't finish her sentence. "The important thing is she has the horcrux. If we don't hear anything by Christmas, let's just take the diary back and destroy it. We'll have to somehow get into the Chamber though, for which we need a parseltongue."

"What do you suggest we do on that? We have no parseltongue, other than Harry," Theo reminded him. "Unless you plan on using the imperius on him, there's no legitimate reason for him to go into the chamber unless Ginny gets abducted. That was what prompted him to go down in the first place, get the sword imbued with basilisk venom-" he stopped, shaking his head. "I don't know what we're going to do honestly, guys."

"We'll have to figure something out," Madison said simply. "That's it. We'll have to figure it out." She stopped, pulling the shrunken book out of her bag and enlarging it. "I've been holding on to this for months. I think it's time we look into it."

Percy peered at the cover. "Is that what you picked up in Knockturn?" Madison nodded, flipping it open and reading the introduction. It took her only a few minutes, but when she was finished, she looked up at them in disgust. "What?"

"This is just- horrible. Listen to this - 'The only true way to achieve immortality is to use the life force of another person and add it to your own. This can be done in many ways.' It's disgusting. It's like they're saying oh hey, just go out on a murdering spree."

"It was in Knockturn," Theo pointed out.

Madison shook her head, looking back down at the pages. "I know it was. But the fact people have done this-" She shuddered.

"Does it mention Horcruxes?" Percy asked.

"I don't know yet," Madison said, flipping through the pages and scanning them, trying not to let out a noise of disgust at some of the things suggested. "Wait-" She scanned the rest of the page, and looked up at the other two. They were staring at her, waiting for her to speak. "There are only a few ways to destroy the soul vessel, so while a horcrux is a way of living an extended life, there are risks associated. Just a few are Fiendfyre, Basilisk Poison, and the Soul Kiss of a dementor. Another risk associated is in the case of making too many - such a thing could perhaps tear your soul beyond repair, and can ultimately end up in an accidental horcrux or even your death."

"So all we have to do is get them in the presence of a dementor," Theo said eagerly.

"Yes, Theo, we just walk up to a dementor and go, 'hey, would you mind sucking the souls out of these objects and this poor boy, but mind you not suck his soul out.' That'll go well, I'm sure," Madison said dryly, rubbing her forehead.

"Could perhaps a dementor be imperiused?" Percy mused, and both Madison and Theo shrugged. "Mads, does the book give any other hints of how else to destroy a horcrux? Or soul vessel, as they put it?"

"I don't know," Madison said, flipping through the pages once again. She stopped at a particular dark illustration, and slammed it shut. "I'll look later. I'm going to have nightmares if I continue trying to get through that."

"We'll look again later," Percy said, giving the book an apprehensive look. And he hadn't even seen all the pictures. He rose from his seat and headed to the door, stopping before opening it. "We just have to keep an eye out," he declared. "This is my sister's life that is endangered. We're putting her through this, we have to save her in the end."

Days passed, with the three of them on edge. Hermione noticed, but Madison couldn't tell her anything, and so the younger girl dropped it. At thirteen the girl really was brilliant, and Madison couldn't help but feel a little envious. She'd never been that smart at thirteen, despite being in Ravenclaw.

But during those days, something else happened that pissed Madison off to no end, and she couldn't even explain it to the boys, because there was no way they would understand.

Her body went through puberty again.

It had been, for awhile, but up until that point she'd managed to push it aside and focus on the tasks at hand, but the day she started bleeding she locked herself in the dorm and wouldn't speak to anyone. Poor Hermione had come up twice with letters from both Percy and Theo, but she'd immediately set them on fire. "I'll be down tomorrow," Madison told the other girl, who nodded and rushed back out of the room.

In all reality, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Madame Pomfrey had potions to give her for the cramping, but she still moped. Moped, because in all the talks of what would happen back in time, this happening for the first time, again, had never crossed her mind. It pissed her off.

Unfortunately, all this meant she was up in her dorm, and not downstairs or in class, when the Chamber of secrets was opened and Hermione was petrified. She'd been petrified right after leaving the dorm.

Madison blamed herself when she learned of it the next day. Of course it was her fault; not only had she kicked Hermione out of the dorm, she'd given Ginny the bloody diary in the first place.

It was a shaking Madison and Theo and Percy that sat in the room of requirement the next day. Classes were canceled for the afternoon, which meant students were everywhere but there. It had taken Madison nearly an hour to get away from Harry and Ron, who were understandably distraught.

"We assumed there would be changes," Percy said quietly, his face nearly chalk white. "We just have to be thankful she was looking in the mirror when the basilisk came out of the chamber. For Hermione had been found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The trio were awaiting the letter from Dumbledore, demanding information, but it hadn't come yet. Perhaps he'd finally realized he'd betrayed their trust, after all, and wouldn't get another chance.

"How's Ginny?" Theo questioned, and Madison just shook her head. "You haven't seen her?"

"She doesn't seem any different. In fact, she's hanging out with Luna Lovegood in Ravenclaw today."

"That's strange," Percy mused. They looked at him. "She was horrified the first time around, when it was just Filch's cat. Now it's a person and she's perfectly fine with it?"

"We'll just have to keep an eye out," was all Madison could say.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

But as the days passed, Ginny didn't seem to change. Madison had made a point of getting as close to her as she could, under the guise of needing a female companion with Hermione in the hospital wing, but she couldn't tell that there was anything different about the redhead. She seemed just the same as she had over the summer.

Since Hermione's attack, Ron and Harry had distanced themselves off. Occasionally they'd come sit in the common room with everyone else, but most of the time they spent off somewhere, where, nobody knew. Madison began to wonder if there was something she was missing.

But mid November, Madison put the thought out of her head. For there was another attack, and Percy decided they needed to get the diary back now.

For it was Penelope Clearwater that was petrified.

"We fucked up badly," Percy whispered, his entire body shaking as they all sat in the Gryffindor common room. There were other students around, but they were too engrossed in their own conversations to take much note of them. "Two attacks in two weeks? This is worse than I - I ever expected." He looked at Madison. "I'll distract Ginny and her dorm mates. You go upstairs and switch the diary back. Tonight."

And Madison agreed. Once Percy and the Gryffindor first years were out of the common room, off on a trip to show them secret passages throughout the castle (Madison had to laugh at that, privately. What better way to get Gryffindors out of the common room?) she made her way up the stairs and into the first year dorm for the second time that year. But as she went through Ginny's things, she realized one thing. The diary wasn't there. And she'd left without her bag. And she'd left in clothes that a diary wouldn't fit in. And, to top it all off - she was too young to know how to do a shrinking charm. If she still had possession of it, it would have been in that room.

It was an angry Percy that met her in the room of requirement before breakfast the next day. "What do you mean you couldn't do it?" he raged, brandishing her note in her face. Madison flinched backwards, pulling herself out of range of the spit flying from his mouth.

Her voice was calm when she spoke. "Ginny must have gotten rid of it."

"Fuck!" Percy hissed, kicking a box near his feet Madison could have sworn hadn't been there a minute prior. "God damn it!"

"Perc, it's okay," Theo stated, taking a step toward the raging Weasley. "Penelope's okay - she's just petrified. She'll be awake by the end of the year. She wasn't killed."

This did nothing to calm Percy. "And who will be killed? Huh? Which mudblood will the monster go after next? Madison? And then what will we fucking do? It'll be you and me, Theo, if Madison is killed, and no matter what she did, we need all three of us to fix this."

For the second time, Madison flinched. She knew Percy was angry, of course she did, but he'd never said that word before. In fact, he'd been the one who'd begged her not to say it a couple of times it had come out of her mouth while they were discussing the future. And while he hadn't said it exactly, with his words, it was clear he'd pinned all the blame on her. And why not? She had been the cause of all this.

"That's enough," Theo snapped, grabbing Percy by the arm and dragging him to a chair and shoving him in it. It was only due to the older boy's distress he was able to manage. "Madison hasn't done anything but help us with all of this. Do you really, truly blame her?" Percy was quiet for a moment, breathing hard, but eventually he shook his head. "Okay then." He looked back at Madison, who was trying not to shake. "Okay." The three of them eyed each other, all attempting to calm down.

"What do we do now then?" Percy asked after awhile, his voice quieter than it had been before. "We don't know where the diary is. We don't know who will be next. And Ron and Harry have no way of knowing what the monster is."

"Let me talk to Professor Snape," Madison said, her throat so sore that the words barely came out. She cleared it and tried again. "I will go talk to Snape. Perhaps he can use legilimency to see what Ginny did with the diary, and why, and we can go from there."

Theo looked thoughtful. "It's worth a try," he said finally. "I'd rather go to Dumbledore, but-" He caught Madison's glare. "Okay. We have potions tomorrow, we'll talk to him then."

But when potions came, it was Snape who instructed them to stay behind so he could talk to them. After Madison thought about it for a moment, it didn't come as too much of a surprise. After all, he'd known what to expect that year, and now it had been thrown out the window.

When the rest of the students left and they continued to sit there, it took a minute before Snape spoke.

"I am going to assume, as you've said to me Filch's cat was the only living being petrified at this point, that something has gone horribly wrong." Madison could only nod. "And the fact you stayed behind without arguing means that you need something." Madison nodded again, and the professor groaned, rubbing at his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. "What is it?"

"We need you to look into Ginny Weasley's mind and find out what she did with the diary," Theo informed him, electing another groan from the older man. "Is it possible?"

"It is," the potion's master stated, looking back at them. "I have the first years next lesson, in fact. Come back after, and I will have more information for you."

"Thank you," Madison said quickly, not pointing out that after the next lesson they had to be in the greenhouse, and coming down back to the dungeons would mean they would be late for their own lesson. She couldn't risk him changing his mind at all.

So they went to History of Magic, which was, like always, the same dull, never ceasing monotone that it always was, and when that was over, they practically raced down to the dungeons, getting there as Ginny left the classroom. She gave them an odd look but continued on her way. Madison waited until she was completely out of view before slipping through the potions classroom doors. Professor Snape was sitting at his desk when they entered.

"You aren't going to be pleased," He told them, rising from his seat. Theo and Madison exchanged a glance. "It seems that young Miss Weasley was ambushed just a few days before the Chamber was opened, and the perpetrator stole her diary in the hopes of using her secrets against her."

"But who-"

"A Slytherin, in fact, one the two of you know well, I believe," Snape continued. He looked wary. "Draco Malfoy was the person who took it, and as far as I can tell, he still has it."

In the library, Madison didn't miss the irony of Lucius Malfoy's son getting caught in the trap he'd made as she and Theo explained to him what they'd learned. Percy continuously shook his head. "This just cannot be happening," he groaned, looking sick to his stomach. "There's no reason Harry has to rescue bloody Malfoy if he gets dragged down into the chamber - and he's the only one who can open it so we have easy access to Basilisk venom."

"Worse case scenario on that front," Theo said, as if he'd been thinking about it, "is Snape's a potions master. He could potentially get basilisk venom for us if we asked him to. It is used in some potions."

"Yeah, dark poisons that would no doubt raise more questions," Percy reminded him, tapping his foot impatiently as he seemed to try and figure out what they could do. "We'll just - we'll have to-" He stopped. "I don't know. I don't know."

The next few days went by slowly. Every chance she had, Madison would swing by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and pop her head in, checking to make sure Malfoy wasn't in there. He never was when she looked, but somehow, the next Monday, there was another attack. Colin Creevey never made it to dinner, and his still form was found in an alcove on the fifth floor.

Dumbledore's voice sounding through the castle was the only hint they had that something had happened; he instructed everyone to go to their common rooms and stay there. Madison and Theo looked at each other with wide eyes, and tore their way through the castle, to Dumbledore's office. They made it in just as he'd settled down with Professors McGonagall and Snape, and they all turned to look at them.

"What's happened?" Madison panted, causing Dumbledore to raise his eyebrows.

"You mean that you do not already know?" he asked, his voice rough. Madison knew it was serious by the tears in McGonagall's eyes. All she could do was shake her head, and the headmaster let out a heavy sigh. "Young Colin Creevey has been killed. I will assume that this did not happen your first time, as you've done absolutely nothing to stop it." Madison let the jab wash over her as her knees went weak and she sank to the floor.

Little Colin Creevey. He annoyed her, yes, but he did not deserve this. He was supposed to live this time, damn it, not die three months into the new world. A vast emptiness swept over her, and she was vaguely aware of Theo kneeling down and putting his arm around her, saying something to Dumbledore and the others.

But she tore away from him. "I have to - to - " she managed, before rushing out of the headmaster's office, going straight to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

And as she expected, Draco Malfoy was there, standing in front of the sinks. She yanked her wand out as he turned around to look at her, but there was nothing she could do once she saw his blank eyes.

"So," he said, his voice coming out strange, blurred, not quite his. "Someone has found me out. There is only one thing I can do now, isn't there?" Madison shot a stunning spell in his direction, but he dodged, a series of hisses coming out of his mouth now. And when Madison looked up in the mirror, a pair of bright, yellow eyes was there to meet her.

She knew nothing else.


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

Madison had been petrified. Theo paced the Gryffindor Common Room, well aware Percy was watching him with concern. Theo dared the redhead to say something to him; he had no right, not after how he'd gone off on him and Madison after Penelope a week prior.

A week. It wasn't even two months into the school year, and three students were petrified. And one was dead. And Draco Malfoy was missing, with a note stating he'd been taking into the chamber itself.

Little Ginny was sitting by the fire, sobbing, with a somber Fred and George on either side of her. Looking around, Theo saw nearly every Gryffindor was in shock. They hadn't had time to get used to the fact the chamber was open; everything had happened so quickly.

Angrily he rose and was heading out of the portrait hole when McGonagall came through, and, giving him a sharp look, caused him to turn around and sit back down, crossing his arms.

"Professor Dumbledore has had a meeting with the school Governors," she began, looking around at the still students. "If any of you have any idea who is behind these attacks, they suggest you step up. If not-" she sighed heavily. "It is very likely the school will be closed."

Even this announcement didn't cause a stir. It seemed they all had expected this. After all, a student had died. A glance toward Potter told Theo the dark haired boy was upset, but whether at the news Hogwarts would be closed, or Colin's death, he was quite unsure.

As McGonagall continued on with her speech, Theo sank into a chair near Percy, still not saying a word to the older boy, who simply put a hand on his shoulder. McGonagall finished speaking, her lips pursed.

"Again, I stress this - if any of you have any idea who is behind the attacks, please let myself or another professor know." And with that, she exited the common room, leaving behind a group of shocked and grieving students.

The evening passed very slowly. The Gryffindors barely moved,until Ginny stood up from her spot, and came over to Theo. He looked up at her.

"Could you - um - Madison-" She hesitated, looking shy.

"She's just petrified. She'll be awake in no time," Theo reassured her, despite the anxiety pounding in his veins. "But that's not it, is it?"

"She was just really nice to me, these past few months," Ginny said quietly, and Theo felt a pang of guilt. If she ever found out the only reason Madison had been hanging out with her - but he pushed the thoughts aside as Ginny spoke again. "I'm glad she wasn't killed, is all. I know the two of you are close." She started to walk away, as Ron and Harry walked up to them. She hesitated.

"Why would the heir of slytherin take Malfoy of all people into the chamber?" Harry asked in a low voice, he and Ron sitting close to Theo and Ginny. "He's pureblood, isn't he?"

"Of course he is," Ron hissed, clearly thinking back to the other boy tossing around the word "mudblood" like it was candy. "It's probably all for attention. He'll show up tomorrow perfectly fine, I bet."

"What if he doesn't?" Theo said, looking him dead in the eye, recalling when it was this boy's sister and he'd risked everything. He didn't blame Ron though, at twelve he certainly wouldn't have risked anything for his enemy.

"We don't even know where the chamber is, it's not like we can go rescue him," Ron retorted, balling his hands into fists in his frustration. "Hermione and Madison-"

"Will be taken care of," Theo interrupted and the younger students looked over at him, wide eyed. "Keep in mind, we might know where the chamber is." Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked at him, shocked. "Madison and Hermione were both petrified in the same bathroom, weren't they?" The boys looked at each other in surprise, clearly not having thought about this before. "And," Theo added, "I believe that bathroom has a resident ghost. Perhaps you could ask her some questions?"

Ron and Harry stared at each other, as if they were silently communicating. Finally, Harry turned back to face Theo. "Come with us?"

"You aren't leaving me behind," Ginny snapped, crossing her thin arms across her chest. Again Ron and Harry looked at each other. "You were my age when you went to save the stone last year," Ginny reminded them. "I'm smart. I'm brave. I can come."

"Fine," Ron snapped back, but Theo was aware he only agreed to hush her up before she gained attention from the Gryffindors around them. He looked around. Nobody was paying them any mind. "Er - should we go now or wait for everyone to fall asleep?"

"Go now," Harry decided. "If we wait until later, and Malfoy's really in danger-" He stopped before he said what they were all thinking - that if they waited until later, Malfoy could die. And so they all stood up and headed towards the entrance, nobody paying them any attention but Percy, and he wasn't going to stop them.

Getting to the second floor girl's bathroom wasn't hard, surprisingly. All of the teachers were probably still in the staff room, and of course the rest of the students were in their common rooms, much like they were supposed to be.

Despite this, Theo's heart pounded the entire way to the bathroom. What if he and Ginny being there made some weird difference as to whether Harry survived or not? What if they ended up killing the boy who lived? What if Fawkes didn't bring Harry the sword? So many things could happen, and with every step, Theo regretted joining them.

They'd nearly made it to the bathroom when Gilderoy Lockhart exited out of the staff bathroom, stopping and staring at the gathered group in surprise. "Well, what's this?" he exclaimed. "Aren't you lot supposed to be in your common room?"

Theo was amazed at how quickly Ron and Harry came to a decision without verbal communication, but before he realized it Harry was inviting Lockhart to come with them. "Harry," Theo hissed, but the boy who lived ignored him, and the group continued on, now with a quite useless professor.

When they reached the bathroom, Moaning Myrtle was floating above the sink. She turned, having spotted them come in. "Can I help you?" she said, her high voice breaking the temporary silence.

"Erm - yeah," Harry said tentatively, stepping forward in front of the rest of them. "We were wondering if - er-" He looked back at Ron and Theo for help.

Theo took a step forward. "We were wondering - how you died." The ghost's face lit up, if that were possible, and she immediately gushed about her death as if she were talking about a first date. When she pointed to the neat row of sinks, Harry and the others slowly walked over there, examining each individual sink. "Here," Theo said suddenly, pointing at the tap on one of them.

"That's never worked," Moaning Myrtle declared, floating above them. Harry examined it again, looking thoughtful. He suddenly looked back up at Myrtle.

"You said - the boy - he was hissing, right? It wasn't English, it was a type of hissing?" Myrtle nodded, and Harry took a deep breath, looking at the others. "It - is it possible - to learn how to speak to snakes?"

"Not learn exactly," Ron told him. "There's parseltongues - they just know how to talk to snakes, but I don't know if it's something you can learn. I think it's just inherited. Why?"

"I think I can talk to snakes," Harry said, and he told the others about the summer before first year - how he'd accidentally set a snake on his cousin Dudley. "It was as if the snake understood me, and even Piers - Dudley's friend - he said later I was talking to the snake."

Theo gestured to the engraved tap. "You can always give it a shot," he said. "If it doesn't work we'll think of something else." Harry looked at it again, and opened his mouth.

What came out was definitely not English.

The tap glowed with a bright light and began to spin, causing the five gathered to take a step back. Then, suddenly, the sink was moving, went out of their sight, leaving behind a massive pipe wide enough for a grown man to slide into.

Harry looked up at the others, a determined look set on his face. "I'm going down there," he declared. There was a pause, and Ginny nodded.

"Me too," she said.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," Lockhart said, with a half smile. "I'll just take my leave, shall I?"

"I don't think so," Theo snapped, pulling out his wand. He stared at the older man. "You know, I've done some research on you," he said quietly, looking at the other three, unsure if he should reveal this. Why not, he thought, and continue. "And I think you're a fraud. The timelines in your books are quite contrasting, you know. The least you could have done was pay attention to those."

Ron pulled out his broken wand, and Theo eyed it nervously. This had to be done carefully. If Lockhart tried to obliviate any of them, the safest course would be for him to grab Ron's. The safest for them, anyway. "So you're gonna come down with us, and you're going to prove you're not a fraud. Deal?"

"I really don't think-"

But Ron jabbed him in the back with his wand. "You can go first," He snapped. Lockhart hesitated for a moment, but Ron gave him a push, and down the pipe Lockhart went. Ginny nervously looked at the boys.

"Are we sure that was the best thing to do?" she asked quietly, but Theo just shrugged, climbing in the pipe himself and sliding down.

It was quite disgusting, he found. The pipe was slimy, the air smelled like dead things, and it was completely dark. It felt endless, but eventually he fell out of the other end, nearly landing on top of Lockhart.

"We must be miles under the school," Harry said when he'd come out the other end of the pipe.

Theo squinted, struggling to see in the darkness. "Under the lake, it seems," he commented, pointing his wand forward. "Lumos."

Ron and Harry did the same, and they sat off into the darkness.

"I've just thought of something," Theo said slowly, trying to seem as if he really did just think of it. "Myrtle - she said she saw a pair of yellow eyes before she died, and that pipe is huge enough for a giant creature. What if - what if Slytherin's monster is a basilisk?"

Ron paled, but Harry just looked confused.

"A basilisk is a giant snake," Theo told him. "It's capable of killing instantly when you get direct eye contact. I think - I think Colin was the only one to meet it's eyes, the others had - had reflective surfaces."

Harry swallowed hard. "I guess then - any sign of movement, close your eyes." The others nodded, and they continued on. As they rounded a bend, though, Ron paled, clutching Harry's arm. "What is it?"

"Something's up there," Ron said hoarsely. The group froze, watching. Just ahead was the outline of something huge, lying across the tunnel. It wasn't moving, however, and after a while, they realized it was just shedded skin. "Blimey. That thing is huge."

There was a sudden movement behind them, and Theo turned. Lockhart had dropped to his knees.

Everything after that happened quickly. Lockhart lunged, grabbing Ron's wand, and attempted to obliviate the group. The spell backfired, however, knocking Lockhart back and into the wall. The backfiring wand set off a reaction like a small bomb, and when the dust cleared, Theo realized he, Lockhart, and Ron were on one side of a giant wall of rock - with Ginny and Harry on the other.

Ginny's voice came from the other side, small and muffled and full of fear. "Ron? Theo? You guys okay?"

"We're here," Theo called back, pushing at the rock. "This'll take ages to move, we won't be able to get through- We could try magic, but the entire tunnel could come down on top of us."

"Wait there," came Harry's voice. "Wait with Lockhart. I'll - we'll go on, if we aren't back in an hour-"

"We'll try and shift this rock," Ron said, attempting to keep his voice steady. "So you can - can get back through. And Harry- Ginny-"

"See you in a bit," Came Harry's voice, shaking in an attempt to be confident. And then there were footsteps leading away, and Theo and Ron looked at each other, then back at Lockhart, who was seated on the floor with a bit of a dazed look on his face.

"Blimey. This place is filthy," Lockhart stated, looking around. He looked straight at Theo. "Are we at your house?" Theo just shook his head, not feeling the least bit guilty. Lockhart deserved this - even in their time they'd not been able to find all of his victims. Some of them had died, still with their memories modified.

"Just leave him," Theo told Ron, who was looking nervously at the rocks keeping them from joining Harry and Ginny. "And your sister will be fine," he assured him, although of course, he had no way of knowing now.

By the time footsteps sounded, coming back their way, Ron and Theo had managed to clear enough of the rock for the three of them to slip through. When they were standing together, Theo stared at Harry in disgust.

"Who's blood?"

Harry looked down. "Er. Mine." He shifted, adjusting his grip on the long sword he carried. It caught Theo's eyes. "Gryffindors," Harry said, looking him in the eye. "It came out of the sorting hat." He lifted his other hand, and Theo stared at the tattered thing. Before another word was spoken, a phoenix flew in through the hole and landed next to Lockhart. Theo looked over at Malfoy, who's normally pale face was even whiter.

"Thank you," The slytherin said gruffly. "To - to all of you." He held out his hand to Harry, who only hesitated for a moment before shaking it. He then offered his hand to each of the Weasleys, and lastly Theo. All shook his head. "And I - I reckon Iy hesitated for a moment before accepting. Much to everyone's surprise, he also held his hand out to Ron, Ginny, and Theo in turn. "I know I've been - well, a prat." Ron scoffed, and Draco smirked a bit, but it wasn't his usual mean smirk. "You had no reason to come down here to - to save me, and so I'll make it worth it." He finished, looking Harry in the eye. Harry just nodded once, before they all turned to look at Lockhart. "What's up with him?" Draco asked.

"He tried erasing our memories," Ginny piped up. "But he stole Ron's wand, which is broken, so it backfired. He wanted credit for finding the chamber." Draco just shook his head in disgust.

 **There were several different versions of this chapter, but I finally got it to how I like it. Hope you guys do too. Also; review?**


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

Madison slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the bright light. A voice came from her side, eagerly whispering her name, and she struggled to focus, recognizing the voice but unable to place it.

"Miss Reyes?" A new voice came from her feet, one that wasn't as familiar, but it finally enabled her to focus, and she squinted at Madame Pomfrey. "How do you feel?"

"I-" She blinked, and blinked again, looking to her side. Theo was sitting there, smiling at her. "The - the eyes-"

"A little confusion is normal," Pomfrey said, stepping forward and waving her wand over Madison. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I was - Malfoy was in the bathroom -" She looked back at Theo, furrowing her brow. "Malfoy - and Colin-"

Madame Pomfrey gave her a sad look. "Mr. Creevey has, unfortunately, passed on. His parents came to claim his body just yesterday morning. They have all left the castle now."

"Yesterday?" Madison looked between her and Theo. "How long was I - I-"

"You were petrified for a little over three days," Theo told her, gripping her hand. "Lucius Malfoy paid for adult mandrakes to be sent in to create the restorative potion immediately."

"What?"

And so Theo explained everything - how Draco had ended up with the diary, how when Lucius Malfoy found out he'd made a deal with Dumbledore - their silence in exchange for the mandrakes. "And letting Dobby come work for Hogwarts." Madison's eyebrows shot up, and Theo smirked. "That part was Harry's idea."

"Of course it was," Madison said quietly. She let out a huge yawn, suddenly realizing just how tired she was. "If you don't mind-"

"Go ahead and sleep," Theo said. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Things were different once those that had been petrified were able to leave the hospital wing. There were some who wouldn't look at them, mostly kids who had been friends with Colin, kids who didn't understand why Colin had died and they hadn't. Dumbledore had attempted to explain during one of the evening meals, but it fell on deaf ears; without the name of the person who had opened the Chamber, nobody wanted to listen, not even when Dumbledore explained that it was the dark lord who had manipulated a student.

The staff kept in contact with the Creeveys, whose younger son, Dennis, was set to attend Hogwarts in a few years; but they'd instead chosen to move to France, and the younger Creevey boy would attend Beauxbatons instead.

None of the students were able to attend Colin's funeral, although Dumbledore held a small ceremony on the grounds near the lake to honor the young muggleborn. Madison, Theo, and Percy attended, none of them speaking to anyone else. All of them blaming themselves.

Madison blamed herself the most. It had been her, after all, who had changed things that caused Malfoy to end up with the diary. If she hadn't dragged Ginny and Hermione out of Flourish and Blotts that day, everything would have gone to plan and nobody would have died. Colin would have lived this time.

Theo and Percy attempted to explain that it wasn't her fault, but every time they tried, she walked away. She didn't want to hear it, because in her mind, there was absolutely no denying it.

But with the chamber of secrets out of the way before Christmas, they were able to spend the rest of the school year concentrating on the horcruxes, and their plan for getting Sirius Black's name cleared.

And then there was the visit to Krum manor in Bulgaria.

Madison hadn't gone to that. She'd stayed with Ginny and Hermione, studying for end of term exams, for it had in fact taken them that long to arrange the trip to Bulgaria, and even then only three of them could go, and one had to be an adult. As Percy wouldn't turn seventeen until the next school year, they'd taken Severus Snape with them.

They came back with a bunch of information on Horcruxes and destroying them, and the dangers that came with each type of destruction.

Fiendfyre was, of course, hard to control. Basilisk venom was extremely deadly if it got on the skin at all. And the risk with a dementor was that it would possibly take not only the piece of soul in the horcrux, but the soul of whoever was there, too. Dementors were too unpredictable.

But there was no information on how to destroy a living horcrux without killing the person it resided in, and that was the problem.

By the time they broke for summer, they were no closer to solving the problem they faced - getting you-know-who's soul out of Harry Potter and allowing the younger Gryffindor boy to live.

The only good thing that happened that year was Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, in addition to Hermione, Ginny and Ron, had become friends.

They weren't extremely close, of course. They still had a year's worth of distrust to work through. But having saved Draco's life when they had really no reason to knocked a bunch of that distrust away.

Lucius Malfoy was very unhappy with the way things had turned out, Draco told them. The fact that it was his own fault never seemed to cross the elder Malfoy's mind, instead he pinned the blame on Harry Potter, forbidding Draco to associate with him. "He doesn't even seem grateful," Draco had confessed.

The exams were over, they'd boarded the train, and were halfway home before Madison could have a second to herself.

Theo and Percy hadn't allowed her to really be alone much since waking up after being petrified. She didn't blame them, not completely, but she'd longed for just five minutes during the day to breathe.

But now, on the train, she almost wished she wasn't alone, because the thoughts had come back full force.

What had Percy been thinking, asking her to come back in time with him and Theo? Why had she thought she was good enough to make things better? All she'd done was make them worse, and you-know-who wasn't even back yet.

Nearly two years in the past and they'd destroyed one horcrux. One. And gotten Colin Creevey killed five years earlier.

Colin was haunting her. Not physically, of course, but he was in her dreams, blaming her, cursing her. She hadn't told either Percy or Theo about that, because they'd just send her to Madame Pomfrey for a dreamless sleep potion, and she didn't want to rely on potions to get through a night.

But McGonagall had noticed, towards the end of the year, how exhausted she was, and had taken her aside after Transfiguration one afternoon and forced her to talk to her. The older woman had attempted to reassure Madison that none of this was her fault, but she refused to listen, walking out in the middle of one of McGonagall's sentences. The professor hadn't attempted talking to her again.

She was absentmindedly drawing on a piece of parchment when Hermione entered the compartment she was in, quietly sitting across from her. She waited until Madison had looked up at her before she spoke.

"I talked to my parents," she said. "About having you come to my house for part of the summer. If you wanted." Madison didn't say anything, and the other muggleborn continued. "I noticed after - after Colin -" Hermione hesitated before going on. "I know you probably blame yourself for Colin because you think you could have stopped it but you - you couldn't. I've been reading books on time travel, and the situation you and the boys are in - and it said that basically there's no way of everything going exactly the same. Little changes have huge consequences, and it's just a part of it, but I think-" she stopped, chewing on her lip. "You were brave, Mads, you and Theo and Percy - just by coming back here. And I know that Colin dying was sad, and I know you feel like you could have stopped it but you - you couldn't," she finished, twisting a strand of brown hair around her finger, looking nervously at Madison.

"Thank you," Madison said after awhile. "Thank you."

When Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, Madison's father didn't allow her to leave the house, not even to go over to Hermione's. While he didn't remember about the time travel, he seemed to remember he was upset at Madison for something, and so that summer was the longest Madison had ever experienced. And the dreams didn't help.

The dreams were getting worse by the day, and it wasn't just Colin haunting her anymore. Her father's face floated in them, along with most of the Weasleys, Professor Snape, several of the other teachers - all people who had died the first time around, in front of her.

In early August, she finally wrote Dumbledore, asking for his help, despite how angry she still was with the old man. She knew something was wrong with her, for these nightmares weren't normal. She'd wake up in tears every morning on the nights she was able to sleep, and when she confessed this to the headmaster, it took two days, but he wrote back, advising her to talk to someone about them, if not him, then McGonagall or Professor Snape, someone who knew the truth about them and what they were doing, but not the boys. "They are too closely involved with you," Dumbledore had written, "and therefore are not in the best place to help."

And so she wrote to McGonagall with her plight, and the transfiguration professor came to her home midway through august with a couple vials of potion and listening ears.

It would take time, the older woman said, for her to feel like she was getting somewhere. She'd also let Madison know that there was nothing shameful in having nightmares, and not even anything shameful in taking dreamless sleep and emotion stability potions. "They can help you."

And so the summer passed, and it was soon time to go back to Hogwarts.

She didn't make it to the Grangers home that year.

 **Reviews are kind!**


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY SIX**

If Madison had remembered about the dementors, she would have found another way to get to Hogwarts, unfortunately, she didn't remember until they were sitting on the train in Remus Lupin's compartment with Ron, Harry, and Hermione, and they were discussing Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban. The moment the memory came back, she quickly excused herself and shut herself into the bathroom, leaning against the door and breathing hard.

After her fifth year, the dementors had left Azkaban, and after you-know-who won, they'd been everywhere, filling her mind with her worst memories of the war, her worst memories of everything that had happened. And now there was going to be no escape from them; she'd never learned how to produce a patronus, and there were very few people on that train that did. Lupin was one, she recalled suddenly, and, taking a deep breath, she resolved to go back to that compartment. But she'd gone a few steps when the train jerked to a stop.

She fled back into the bathroom, locking the door behind her again, knowing full well this wouldn't stop the dementors, but she sank onto the floor as the chill set in onto the train, holding onto her knees and burying her face into them. She sat like this for what felt like hours, until the chill went away and the floor beneath her began swaying again. She slipped out of the bathroom, still shaking, and went back into the compartment, where the group had been joined by Ginny and Neville. The compartment was full, so she left again, walking down the corridor until she saw Percy sitting with Penelope in an otherwise empty compartment. She knocked before sliding the door open.

"Is it okay if I join you?" she questioned, her voice soft as she wrapped her arms around herself. Penelope looked at her with sympathy and quickly agreed, and so she sat down next to the window, leaning her head against the cool glass as the train continued going down the tracks. She'd been there a few minutes when another knock sounded, and she looked to see Theo standing at the door. He too was welcomed into the compartment, and he said nothing, just sat next to her as they headed to Hogwarts.

They arrived shortly after, everyone separating into the thestral-drawn carriages; but still Madison said nothing, the dementor's powerful chill coating her bones. Reasonably she knew she was overreacting - she hadn't even physically seen the damn things - but the memory was enough when it came to the guards of Azkaban.

Arriving at the castle, they again separated into their houses, Madison sitting in between Theo and Percy, as they waited for the feast to begin. Harry and Hermione hadn't joined them at the table, and a whispered conversation between Theo and Ron let them know that McGonagall had pulled them aside upon walking into the castle. He'd managed to snag two seats next to him for his friends, and Madison thought bitterly that the first time around nobody would have done that for her.

She shook the thoughts away as the sorting began. Gryffindor only got a handful of new students that year, and the sorting had just ended when Harry and Hermione slipped into the Great Hall, attempting to sneak through to the Gryffindor table without being noticed by too many people. Unfortunately this wasn't the case; people were pointing at him. Madison chanced a look over at Draco Malfoy; the first time she'd learned Harry had passed out on the train from the dementors from him, but the blonde was unusually quiet. Madison briefly wondered if the events of the year before had really changed him that much, but the thoughts were pushed aside again as Dumbledore rose from his seat.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast-"

As Dumbledore went on, speaking of the dementors and the threat they posed to the school, Madison could tell he was very unhappy with the fact they were there. Glancing at the rest of the staff, it was clear they were all very unhappy with the dementors being there.

"On a happier note," Dumbledore continued, and Madison looked back at him. "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Firstly, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Madison stared at the werewolf. She'd obviously just seen him on the train but he'd been asleep then - or at least feigning it - and in the distraction of the dementors, she hadn't really thought about his presence there.

This was the man whose house she'd been living in, the man who had sacrificed his own life for countless muggleborns and blood traitors, giving them a safe house to stay, to recover from various injuries and the deaths of family members. He'd died helping Molly Weasley escape from the attack that killed Charlie, and she in turn had helped many more people.

But it was all thanks to Remus Lupin, who now sat at the teacher's table looking tired and worn.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued, bringing Madison back to the present, "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Loud applause came from the Gryffindor table, and Theo caught Madison's eye with a smirk, both recalling the various creatures the half - giant had brought into his lessons. Nobody had ever been hurt (minus Draco Malfoy, whose injury had been his own fault and anyway, hadn't actually been serious) and the lessons were actually enjoyable.

"We should have known," Madison could hear Ron saying loudly. "Who else would have set us a biting book?" Madison laughed, as the applause died down and Dumbledore spoke again.

"I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

The next morning came too early. Madison woke long before the sun came out, and she laid in bed, staring at the curtains around her bed absently, thinking of all that year would bring. They were almost to the point where things would get serious.

With access to basilisk venom now in the sword of Gryffindor, they could begin actively hunting down the horcruxes. Dumbledore had already gathered a list of potential traps that could be set at the Gaunt home, and the headmaster was planning on taking Percy with him to retrieve it over the Christmas break, now that the Weasley had turned seventeen.

Madison had gone to the room of requirement, but couldn't yet find out the combination of words needed to get into the right room - the one that contained the diadem. Theo said they'd keep trying - there had to be a way, after all. Harry had gotten in there.

"What are we going to do about Black?" was Percy's first question when he joined Madison in the common room an hour later, the sun still not out. Madison shrugged from her spot on the couch, shutting her charms textbook. She'd been pretending to study while she waited for the boys to come down, so that it didn't look too odd for her to be just sitting there.

Theo came down at that moment, and without a word between the three of them, they all headed out the portrait hole and to the room of requirement, sitting in their usual seats. "We've changed some things," Madison said. "With - with Draco being friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and generally less of an arse -"

"He may not provoke Buckbeak," Percy finished, chewing on the end of his quill as he looked down at the parchment in front of him. He seemed to think for a moment, then looked over at Theo. "But you could."

"Me?" Theo scoffed, immediately shaking his head. "No."

"You don't have to be mean about it," Madison said, realizing what Percy was thinking. "Just make it an offhand comment, then write to your dad about it. He hates Dumbledore and half bloods enough that he'd put up a huge stink about it, wouldn't he?"

"Yes," Theo said slowly, still shaking his head. "I don't - this is a bad idea, guys."

"What else do you have?" Madison snapped. "Without Buckbeak's execution, Harry won't be able to help Sirius Black escape, and the man will be given the dementor's kiss before we can prove his innocence."

Theo heaved a sigh, standing up from his seat. "For the record," he said, his voice firm, "I think that this is an extremely bad idea, but I'll do it. When's Hagrid's hippogriff lesson again?"

"Right after lunch," Madison said, causing the ex-Slytherin to groan.

When Madison and Theo came down for breakfast, Harry was discussing the dementors with the Weasley twins, causing Madison to shiver as she sat down next to them. "If I never have to see one again it'll be too soon," she said, and the others sitting at the table agreed.

Hermione, on the other hand, was inspecting her new schedule. "Oh, good," she said. "We're starting some new subjects today." Ron, who was leaning over her shoulder, frowned, but before he could speak up, Madison did.

"I can't wait for Care of Magical Creatures." Harry grinned at her. "It's gonna be great, especially with Hagrid as the teacher. He really knows his stuff."

As they went off on what they were looking forward to in their new subjects, Hagrid came into the hall. He was wearing a long moleskin overcoat that really did nothing for him, and he paused on his way to the staff table.

"We're really looking forward to your lesson," Madison told him, grinning. He smiled nervously back.

"Bin up since five getting everything ready!" He exclaimed, before continuing on to the staff table. Ron watched him go, looking more nervous than the new professor.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?"

"We'd better go," Madison said, checking her watch. It wasn't the one she'd worn for years; she'd finally broken down over the summer and asked her dad for one of her own. She didn't plan on getting his back any time soon, after all.

"Divination is at the top of the north tower," Ron complained. "It'll take us ages to get there!"

 **Review? Sorry it took so long for this chapter, I went back to work and that killed almost all my free time**


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN**

Madison almost immediately regretted taking Divination. It took about five minutes in the classroom before she was ready to walk out, but she put up with it - it was the best way to stay close to Harry, Ron, and Hermione; Harry especially. Plus, in general Divination was an easy class the way Trelawney taught it. But after her eighth "prediction", Madison very nearly left the class. It wouldn't be for much longer, she told herself. She'd been able to drop the class after the first year last time around and planned on doing it again, taking arithmancy instead.

When the lesson finally ended and they made it out the door into fresh air, she couldn't help her sigh of relief. "What a load of bollocks," she muttered to Theo as they headed to transfiguration. He bit back a snort as Harry looked back at them.

McGonagall was beginning to teach them about Animagi - which was ironic, Madison thought suddenly, as she thought to the events that would take place at the end of the year - but the majority of the Gryffindors weren't listening, and half of them didn't even notice when she popped into a cat and back.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" the transfiguration teacher questioned, looking around at the gathered group. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Hermione raised her hand, and McGonagall looked at her questioningly. "Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and-"

"Ah," Mcgonagall said, interrupting the young girl. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

This time Theo couldn't help his snort as Harry raised a shaking hand, drawing the professor's attention to him. Madison nudged him firmly in the side as Ron shot the two of them a glare, obviously believing what Trelawney had said.

"I see," McGonagall said, piercing Harry with a stare. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues-" She stopped. "I assure you that if you die, you need not hand your homework in."

Hermione, Madison, and Theo broke into laughter, and even Harry seemed a little bit relieved, but Ron still looked concerned even as they trooped out of the classroom a bit later, heading down to lunch. "You know Divination's mostly faked?" Theo told him as they settled in at the Gryffindor table. "There are very few true seers. I wouldn't worry about ol' Trelawney. Like McGonagall said, it's her way of greeting her class."

Ron ignored him, turning to the boy who lived. "Harry," he questioned in a low tone. "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

"Yeah I have," Harry responded at once, earning a startled look from Ron. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys."

"It was probably a stray," Hermione said firmly, spooning stew into her mouth.

As Ron ranted about his uncle who'd died a day after seeing a Grim, Madison caught Theo's eye. She wondered if the dog Harry'd seen had been Sirius Black in his animagus form, which in turn led her to thinking about the upcoming Care of Magical Creatures lesson. She had a sudden idea and stood up quickly, her knees banging against the table. "Sorry," she blurted, before rushing out of the Great Hall. She could hear Hermione call after her but she kept going.

The Weasley twins had a map. She only knew of the map from Percy, but they were bound to have seen Peter Pettigrew's name on it at some point. All they had to do was somehow force Pettigrew to change into human form in front of them - and someone of age - and Sirius Black would be freed.

Freed, and able to take Harry into his home. He wouldn't die from feeling cooped up, he'd be able to go wherever he wanted to.

She didn't realize where she was going until she skidded to a stop in front of Dumbledore's office. She stared at the Gargoyles. What Dumbledore had done had been uncalled for, certainly, but he was the only one strong enough to do what needed to be done.

So it was half an hour later when she caught back up to Theo, and whispered fiercely into his ear, "New plan. Don't antagonize." Theo looked at her, startled, but shrugged, and Hagrid's first lesson went without any incidents.

Two days later, it was a proud Percy who came into the Room of Requirement carrying the map. "The enchantment is, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' " he told the others, placing it down on the table in front of them. He looked up at Madison. "Are you sure this plan will work?"

"I know we tossed out a similar plan before," Madison said, fidgeting a bit. "But that was because we'd thought of using the Imperius curse. A strong enough confundus would get us what we need; Pettigrew escaping the night he'd done before, and going off to find you know who."

"This makes me nervous," Theo said, looking at her. "So many things could go wrong-"

"Yes, well, look at what went wrong last year," Madison snapped. "And that wasn't even on purpose. Things are bound to change no matter what we do, we can't do everything exactly the same as we did ten years ago. It's just not possible."

"But this is purposely going against what we initially planned," Percy protested. "I got the map like you asked, and obviously we have no other choice now that there's going to be no Buckbeak to save, but really Madison-"

"Really what?" she interrupted, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'm trying to save innocent lives. Why put Buckbeak in any danger at all when we can avoid it?" Theo sighed, and she looked at him. "I'm trying to do what's right, not what's easy."

"Fine." Percy said, touching his wand to the map. "Let's hope you're right and this works."

Later that same evening, Madison finally got the diadem. It was such an easy word phrasing she was shaking her head at it, but she shoved it into her bag anyway and took it with her to Gryffindor tower, where she, Percy, and Theo were putting their plan into action.

The best idea they'd come up with - the best way for the Ministry not to deny anything - was to reveal Pettigrew in front of the entire group of Gryffindors. It would have to be sneakily done, but they were prepared. Madison sat next to Theo and Hermione by the fire, while Ron and Harry sat slightly off to the side playing wizard's chest, Scabbers scrambling around near them. Percy waited until Harry said something about you know who, obviously using his "forbidden name" - which was easy, as Madison purposely brought him up - before he shot Scabbers with the animagi revealing spell.

Several people screamed as a strange man suddenly appeared in their midst, and Percy jumped up, acting quickly - shooting him with a stunning spell. There were several minutes of silence until one of the other seventh years spoke up, his voice hushed.

"That's Peter Pettigrew. He's supposed to be dead."

"I'm going to go get the headmaster," Percy stated, keeping his voice calm. There were only three of them who knew this was all orchestrated, after all. "Make sure he stays stunned."

Only minutes later, the headmaster came barging in, McGonagall and Snape on either side of them. The professors exchanged a dark look before lifting up the supposed dead man, and levitating him out of the tower. McGonagall turned to the rest of them. "Mr Weasley - Percy - come with us. We will need your report on what occured tonight."

When they were gone, the common room burst into whispers, while Ron sat, still by the chessboard. "Scabbers - my rat was a man."

As the days went on, Pettigrew was taken into custody and locked in a cell at the ministry. Many people were calling for Sirius Black's pardon - after all, if Pettigrew was alive, then he'd clearly not been killed by Black - but Fudge was dragging his heels on the case. This didn't surprise anyone who knew the man. Pardoning Sirius Black would mean admitting the ministry had locked him up for life without even a trial.

But it finally came to a head when Lucius Malfoy, of all people, whispered into the right person's ear, and Sirius Black got his trial in his absence, and was promptly declared innocent. Not even an hour after the news hit the Daily Prophet, Sirius himself turned up at St. Mungos.

Through all of this, the time traveling trio had taken the diadem to the Room of Requirement - entering into a stone room that contained nothing but a single table. Madison carefully placed the horcrux down on it, gripping the basilisk fang tightly in her fist. "Are you sure neither of you want to do this?" she questioned the boys, who both promptly shook their heads. She heaved a sigh, bringing the basilisk fang closer to the horcrux. She was about to strike when a shadowy figure rose from it and she took a startled step back.

"Just stab it," she could hear Theo say from behind her, but the figure opened its mouth to speak - and she lunged forward. With a shriek the figure vanished, leaving behind the mangled diadem and a shaking Madison.

"That was interesting," Percy stated, stepping forward and putting his arm around Madison, pulling her to a chair that had appeared. "Mads, are you alright?"

She shook her head, pulling her knees into the chair with her. The figure had reminded her of a dementor, filling the room with an ice cold feeling, and she couldn't quite stop the shaking, even as Percy handed her a slab of chocolate and she bit into it. "Let's call it for awhile," Percy said finally. "We've got the cup, the locket, the ring, and Nagini left."

"Harry too," Madison said, her voice cracking.

"Yes, you're right." Percy sat down too. "My point being, however, that there isn't much we can do until we've gotten ahold of Sirius Black and spoken to him. The headmaster is still doing research on the Gaunt home, presumably figuring out what spells and enchantments are there, so for now we rest. We regroup in about a week and decide where we're going from here."

"Alright," Theo stated, heading towards the door. He was almost there when he turned back, looking at Madison. "Would you like to go Hogsmeade with me Halloween weekend? I know it's still two weeks away, but-" He stopped, looking slightly nervous, but Madison grinned at him.

"Of course I'd like to go with you," she told him, and he grinned back in relief, leaving the room of requirement and a rather smug Percy.

"Took him long enough," the redhead stated, before he too left the room, leaving Madison staring at the mangled horcrux alone.

It was the next weekend when Harry came down from dinner clutching parchment in his fist, sinking into a chair next to Madison, who'd gone to the kitchens for a quick snack earlier, and therefore had skipped dinner. She looked at him curious as Harry read and reread the letter.

"What's going on?" Madison finally asked him, after a long while. Harry didn't speak, but passed her the letter. She stared down at the page.

Dear Harry,

I know you don't know much about me as you probably don't remember me, but my name is Sirius Black - and your parents made me your godfather. My name's been cleared now, and the mind healers are helping me adjust to life outside of Azkaban, free life, that is. They say it will be a couple more months, but I am allowed to have visitors and wanted to know if you would possibly come meet me before I am released. Headmaster Dumbledore can come with you of course, and any friends you'd like to bring.

I look forward to hearing from you. Even if you don't want to meet with me just yet, a letter back would mean the world to me.

Sirius Black

"What are you thinking?" Madison asked him gently, passing him the letter back. Harry crumpled it, looking into the fire.

"I don't know," he said after a minute. "He's - well, he's my godfather and he's innocent. They just threw him into prison without a trial, did you know that?" He didn't wait for a response. "If they'd just given him a trial I could've been living with him all these years instead of the Dursleys. Dumbledore's said that once he's released from the hospital I could go live with him instead of the Dursleys if I wanted, that it's my choice. It's not much of a choice though, is it? The Dursleys put bars on my window last summer."

"I remember," Madison said, her voice quiet. Harry went on as if he didn't hear her.

"But he knew me as a baby. What if he doesn't like me now? What if I'm just a burden to him like I was the Dursleys and he throws me out?"

"He's not going to throw you out." Hermione's voice came from the girl's staircase, and she came to sit next to the two of them. "Harry, he's getting his mind right for you. He didn't have to go to St. Mungos, the wizarding world isn't very progressive when it comes to mind healing. He would have been able to just take you in immediately. But he's doing it so he can be the best guardian for you. You don't have to make a choice to go meet him right away, but if you do, Madison and Ron and Theo and I - we're all here for you. Even Draco," she added, and Madison nodded.

"Hermione's right," she said. "We're all here for you, even Draco. Draco's father was the one who pushed for Sirius Black to get his trial, remember? He did that because Draco wrote to him."

Harry looked at the girls thankfully, before going upstairs to write to Sirius Black and inform him that he would love to come visit over the Hogsmeade trip, if Dumbledore agreed.

When he was gone, Madison and Hermione looked at each other. "Was Sirius freed like this before?" Hermione asked her quietly, but the portrait hole opened and a group of fifth years entered, and Madison could only shake her head sadly.

 **Review?**


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT**

While Harry had intended to wait for Sirius to get out of the hospital, the curiosity was too much for him, and so a week later, Harry was leaving Hogwarts with Madison, Ron and Hermione to go meet Sirius Black. Draco and Theo were staying behind; they didn't want to remind the ex convict of his stint in Azkaban - obviously Draco's father had been a true death eater, and Theo's father had been one of the men who'd agreed to put him there. This had come as a surprise to all of them, but Madison let it go. There was no point in dwelling too much on the little things they couldn't change.

Arriving at St. Mungos, Madison was reminded again, for probably the thousandth time, of the past. Specifically, the day St. Mungos had been raided by the death eaters and all of the muggleborns that had been there as patients were killed. Percy's wife had been one of them, there because of a complication in her pregnancy. Prior to the attack, St. Mungos had been one of the safest places left.

Hermione's nudge jolted her out of the memories as they walked through the halls, following Dumbledore, and finally stopped in front of a door. Dumbledore stood back, as did Hermione, Ron and Madison, letting Harry go in alone first. Fifteen minutes passed, and Harry popped his head out, and bid them to enter.

Dumbledore still stayed outside, to Madison's relief, and they all squeezed into the small hospital room.

Madison had never properly met Sirius Black before. He'd been a convicted felon, only proven innocent after his death, but she'd seen his picture in the papers, and he looked ten times better now then he ever had in those pictures. He wasn't healthy, of course; twelve years in Azkaban had taken that away. Thankfully there was the chance that with time he'd get his health back, and for that, Madison was happy.

Harry quickly introduced his friends, and they all sat down to chat - Sirius telling them all stories of when he was at Hogwarts with his best friends - although he tried to exclude Pettigrew this was difficult, and whenever the rat's name was mentioned, silence would fill the room. Finally Sirius stopped talking, looking at the others. "So. Tell me about yourselves."

And they did - Hermione and Ron told Sirius about their families, how they met Harry, but Madison stayed quiet, just enjoying the conversation, until Sirius turned to her.

"And Miss - Reyes, was it?" she nodded. "What about you? How'd you come to meet my godson?"

Madison smiled. "The train. I'm muggleborn too, and the first people I ever met were actually Ron's brother, Percy, and a boy named Theo, he's our other friend."

"That would be Theo Nott?" Sirius's face darkened, and Madison shot Harry a slightly panicked look.

"Yeah, but he's a good friend," Hermione said quickly. "He and - and Draco."

"Malfoy?"

"Yes."

The ex con looked thoughtful, eyeing his godson and his godson's friends. "Well," He said after a long while. "You certainly do have a varied group of friends, don't you, Harry? Bring the other two next time you come visit, I'd like to meet them."

* * *

With the visit to Sirius out of the way, Harry was able to again concentrate on his studies - now that the group was six people, they tended to spend most of their time in the library, as there were few places people in different houses could spend time together without it being a big deal.

"I wonder if Professor Dumbledore could give us permission to fix up one of the old classrooms?" Hermione inquired thoughtfully one day, as they'd been run out of the library for being too loud. Madison, who was adjusting the books in her arm to carry them more comfortably, mumbled a quite response that went unheard as Theo let out a heavy sigh and took the books from her.

"Next time ask," he commented, earning a secretive smile from Hermione, and a smack on the arm from Madison. The other boys, walking ahead, noticed nothing.

"I mean, he might," Madison said, before Hermione could say anything about Theo carrying her books. They still hadn't gone on their Hogsmeade date, and so the others had no idea there was anything between them - though Hermione suspected. "If we asked. House unity is something some of the professors have been working for."

"And some of them have been working against," Draco piped up, waiting by a door for them to catch up. He lifted a pale eyebrow at Ron's snort. "You think I'm wrong? Look at Professors like Snape and Dumbledore. Snape does take points away from the rest of the houses and rarely takes them from Slytherin, while Dumbledore randomly adds points to Gryffindor for little to no reason. I know," he added, seeing Ron's anger, "that you lot did something with a stone first year, and you might have deserved those points. But you don't find it odd Dumbledore waited for the Leaving Feast to award them, or that he awarded just enough for Gryffindor to come out top?"

Harry looked thoughtful as the group came to an empty classroom. Hermione peered through the door. "Empty," she declared, and they trooped in, settling in at the desks. She eyed Draco. The two of them still had a tense relationship; a year and a half of him calling her a mudblood couldn't be fixed easily, but they got along as well as expected. "You might have a point," she said finally. "I respect Professor Dumbledore, but even I have to admit that was wrong of him to do. I was excited at the time, don't get me wrong, we all were, but Slytherin had been earning those points all year, and had technically won, and he ripped that away."

Madison, who was already working on her potions essay, looked up. "I think we should ask him about an all house common room."

"You think he'll agree?" Theo asked, looking at her. "Knowing - what we know?" This comment earned a curious look from the others, but Madison ignored them.

"I do, actually." She smirked. "We could always blackmail him."

Hermione looked scandalized. "We are not blackmailing the headmaster!"

"Calm down, Hermione, I was joking," Madison said quickly, even if part of her had been completely serious. She knew enough about the headmaster, after all. Although, with that train of thought, he knew too much about her too. She slumped her shoulders for a second, before brightening. "And just think, if he agrees, we don't have to hang out in dirty classrooms anymore."

* * *

The next weekend was the Halloween Hogsmeade visit. Madison paced in the girl's dorm, fully dressed, as the nerves twisted her stomach into knots. She'd been ready for nearly an hour, having gotten up at six in the morning. The other girls had rolled over and gone back to sleep, but she hadn't been able to.

But now Hermione was sitting on her own bed, watching the other girl. "It's not like the two of you haven't gone on dates before," she said.

Madison shook her head. "We haven't," she confessed, sinking down next to Hermione. They were alone in the room, so she went on. "We - after you-know-who took over and we escaped, we lived in a house together for about a year, but we weren't allowed out, so most of our relationship was-" she stopped, remembering she was talking to a blushing thirteen year old. "Anyway," she said, "this is our first ever date."

"Well, the two of you are great together, so there's no worries," Hermione said reassuringly. "Meanwhile... the guy I like won't even look at me."

"Ron?" Hermione blushed again, nodded. "Well, why don't you just ask him out? It is allowed, you know. Harry's not able to go to Hogsmeade just yet, and Draco's going to be out with his Slytherin friends, so it's going to be you and Ron anyway. Make it a date."

Hermione didn't say another word as she stood up and finished getting ready herself, but when the two girls went down to the common room and saw Harry, Ron and Theo seated together, she marched straight up to them. "Ronald," she said, her voice authoritative. The redhead looked up at her, a nervous look on his face. Madison stifled a laugh as Theo walked over to her.

"What's happening?" he asked quietly, but Madison just nodded at Ron and Hermione as the latter clasped her hands together, her entire body tense as she opened her mouth and closed it again.

"What's going on?" Ron asked finally, after a full minute of Hermione standing mute in front of him. Even Harry watched on curious.

"WouldyougotoHogsmeade?" Hermione finally blurted, her question coming out rushed and in one word. Ron still looked baffled.

"I thought we were?"

Hermione chewed her lip, aware of everyone watching the two of them. "I meant as a date," she said, after taking a deep breath. Harry's eyebrows disappeared into his hair, and Madison had to sit down after a fit of giggles overcame her. Ron however, paled as Fred and George wormed their way through the crowd and sat on either side of him.

"Go on then" George said with a grin.

"Go with the girl."

"Don't be shy."

"Okay," Ron finally stuttered, his face gaining some color. Fred and George cheered, high fiving each other over his head. Madison was bent nearly in half from her laughter. Every time she thought she was calming down, she'd look back at Ron's face and giggle again. Theo nudged her, hard, and she finally was able to take several calming breaths as Ron nodded. "Yeah, it's a date."

"You had something to do with that didn't you?" Theo asked ten minutes later, as the two of them headed down to the great hall. Ron had gone back upstairs after mumbling something about "gotta finish getting ready," and Hermione and Harry, the former's face bright red, had gone ahead down to get a quick bite.

"What gave you that impression?" Madison asked calmly, raising one eyebrow. Theo gave her a dubous look.

"Because Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger danced around each other for seven years last time, that's why," he said smugly. Madison shrugged.

"So what if I did?" she asked him, as they arrived at the great hall door. "There's no need for them to dance around each other when we all know how they feel."

"True," Theo stated, and they went in to eat.

 **Review?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

The four parted ways upon their arrival in Hogsmeade, Ron and Hermione going to visit a few shops before having lunch, and Theo and Madison choosing to get butterbeers first thing. Sitting at the Three Broomsticks, they sat in silence for a bit, before Theo spoke.

"You know," he said slowly, taking a small sip before continuing. "Some mornings I keep thinking it was all a dream. The life before."

Madison took a sip from her own mug. "It does," she said after a while. "I don't - I don't think about the future much anymore, not how we left it, I mean. When I think of the future I think of how to continue on here after you-know-who's gone. The job I want, the man I -" She froze.

"The man you...?" Theo said, a small grin on his face.

"The man I want to marry," Madison said, blushing a bit.

"And who would that be?"

"You, you numbskull," Madison retorted, grinning a little herself. Theo chuckled, shaking his head. "I mean it though," she continued. "You are - I want you to be part of my future. We deserve a little happiness after everything, don't we?"

Theo reached across the table and took her hand in his. "We do," he said softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "You most of all."

Madison scoffed a little as the door swung open and McGonagall came in, spotting them sitting there. Madison quickly took her hand back, but not before the transfiguration professor gave them a rare, thin smile. Theo let out a quiet laugh. "What?"

"You really think McGonagall hasn't suspected anything?" Theo asked her, and she shrugged as he reached over and took her hand again. "Don't worry what anyone thinks. They don't matter, anyway. We do."

The rest of their date went smoothly, as far as first dates go. After their quiet lunch, they went shopping, Madison spending nearly an hour in the bookshop and getting eight books - none of which Theo allowed her to purchase with her own money, despite her many protests.

Around dinner time they met up with Ron and Hermione and made their way back up to the castle, the latter couple holding hands the entire way. Madison had to suppress her smirk at the sight.

Harry was waiting for them at the Gryffindor table when they walked into the Great Hall, and in a quiet, rushed tone, he told them about what he'd seen - Professor Snape giving Lupin a suspicious looking potion.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Harry," Madison reassured him, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "Professor Snape wouldn't poison another teacher. Not in front of a witness anyway," she added. Theo was the only one who laughed.

"It's no secret Snape hates Lupin," Harry protested.

"Yes, I'm sure he does but he's not going to kill him in front of you," Hermione said, and Harry heaved a sigh. "Look, if Professor Lupin isn't concerned I don't know why you are."

"Lupin doesn't know him like I do," Harry attempted, but this time Theo snorted.

"Harry, Lupin and Snape were in school together. I think he knows Snape better than you do." Harry looked surprised, but was kept from speaking by Ginny, who joined them at the table.

"Draco says we can meet him upstairs tomorrow after dinner," she declared, dropping into the seat next to Hermione. "He's got news on Black's release."

"Really?" Harry looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Wouldn't Sirius tell me if he's getting released?"

"He may not know," Madison said, finishing off the food on her plate as an owl swept in the great hall and landing in front of her. "Oh now what?" she wondered out loud, taking the letter and letting the owl fly away.

"It's from my dad," she told the others. "Theo, come with me?" The two of them rushed out of the great hall, making it to the entryway before Theo stopped.

"It's not from your dad is it?"

She shook her head. "Dumbledore. He wants us to go to his office now. Percy's already there."

"I wonder why?" Theo said curiously, but they headed up to Dumbledore's office anyway. Dumbledore was standing by the window when they entered, Percy sitting in a chair, a look of confusion on his face. "What's going on?"

"I believe I have successfully identified all of the protections surrounding the Gaunt home," Dumbledore said calmly, turning to face them. Madison stared at him with her mouth open. He took a seat behind his desk. "I've been doing research of my own on the background of Lord Voldemort, as you know, and I did find the home months ago. I would like the three of you to accompany me."

"Why?" Madison questioned, crossing her arms. Dumbledore didn't look surprised at her curiosity, and merely looked at her.

"From what you've told me, I cannot be trusted with this particular horcrux. I thought it best if I had company to help me resist the pull." Madison and Theo exchanged a glance, before looking over at Percy, who was nodding slowly.

"It makes sense," he stated, looking back at the younger two. "Remember what happened last time." Madison recalled the dead looking hand Dumbledore had come back with after retrieving this horcrux, and shuddered. Theo caught her eye and winced, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Fine," she said, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently. "Are you leaving right away?" The headmaster nodded, and she looked back at Theo and Percy. "Okay," she said finally. "Let's go, shall we?"

Madison had never quite gotten used to side along apparation. She stood in front of a torn down home, bending slightly at her waist as the nausea subsided. While she'd been heaving, Dumbledore had gone back for Percy and Theo, leaving her there momentarily by herself.

By the time they got there, she was standing up straight, eyeing the home nervously. She felt Theo gently place a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him, gripping her wand tightly. "Are we ready?" she asked, managing to keep her voice steady despite her racing heart.

Dumbledore gave her a sharp nod, raising his wand and moving toward the home, a determined look on his face. He stopped on the threshold, waving his wand. A green light shone from underneath the door, and Dumbledore nodded again, as if he'd expected it. "There are wards," he said, looking back at the other three. "It will take me a moment, but I can disable them."

Madison stood patiently off to the side as Dumbledore stood completely still, staring at the house and the wards that surrounded it. After what seemed like forever, he finally raised his wand again, chanting.

It took a good fifteen minutes, Madison noted, checking her watch repeatedly. Neither of the boys were speaking either, standing alert on either side of Dumbledore. But finally, there was a cracking sound and the wards began to splinter, before shattering completely.

"Can we go get this thing now?" Madison questioned, and Dumbledore flicked his eyes over in her direction.

"Yes," he said after a second, pulling the door open.

The inside was completely destroyed, dirt, mud, and grime covering every inch of the place. Old furniture had been left, the stuffing and wires poking out of the long couch that sat against one wall. "How are we supposed to find a horcrux in this filth?" Theo asked, disgust filling his tone.

Madison caught his gaze. The very smell was horrendous and she had to fight the urge to cover her nose.

"From what I gather, when the Gaunts lived here it wasn't much better," Dumbledore informed them,moving through the building without stopping. He did finally stop beside a large cupboard, eyeing it carefully. "I need the three of you to be prepared," he said, after a long minute. "If I even look like I'm thinking about putting the ring on, do whatever you need to do to stop me, are we understood?" Percy, Theo, and Madison nodded, and, taking a deep breath, Dumbledore opened the cupboard with a wave of his wand.

Five minutes later, he lay stunned on the ground. Theo and Percy jerked their heads to look at Madison, who stood with her wand pointed in the headmaster's direction. But she only shrugged. "He said to do whatever it took."

* * *

The next morning, it was a quiet Hermione that sat next to Madison in the library. The boys of their friendship in group had gone out to the Quidditch pitch while it was empty, and they'd declined to go with them.

"What's going on?" Madison asked the younger girl, shutting the book she'd been attempting to read and facing her. Hermione shrugged. "Come on, I'm not an idiot. Something's happened. What?"

Hermione fidgeted for a long while, avoiding Madison's eyes. "I kissed Ron," she said abruptly, right as Madison opened her mouth to push. She shut it quickly, looking at the wide eyed girl. "And he -"

"He what?" Madison demanded.

"He - he kissed me back," Hermione said quietly, and Madison relaxed.

"That's not bad, is it?" she questioned her, and Hermione looked at her finally, a small smile on her lips.

"No, I guess not," she said.

 **Sorry it's so short. Just this little bit took forever to get out! I'm hoping the next chapter comes out a bit easier!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

Sirius Black was released from St. Mungos two weeks later, the morning of the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. Without Draco being hurt from Buckbeak, he'd had no excuse to get out of the match, and with Sirius innocent and Pettigrew in Azkaban, the dementors had been sent back - and so Harry and the other Gryffindors won the match.

Unlike previous matches where the Slytherins had antagonized the winners, this one ended with Draco teasing Harry - as a friend.

The letter came from Sirius in the morning, inviting Harry and his friends over to his home for the weekend. Harry went to Dumbledore and got permission for the special circumstances- and they all had to individually ask their own parents - so Friday night had Harry, Ron, Hermione and Madison flooing to Grimmauld place.

It was a mess, but not as much as it could have been. As they headed to the kitchen for a late supper, SIrius explained that while he'd been in the hospital he'd arranged with Dumbledore for a group of people to come through and clean up, to make it safe for him and Harry. Madison became nervous at this news, but this new fear was dissipated as Sirius went on to say Dumbledore himself was coming through on Sunday to remove the collection of dark objects the cleaners had amassed in a room the children were not to go through for anything.

As the rooms were sorted out for the weekend - Hermione and Madison sharing one, Ron and Harry sharing another, Madison couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she snuck up to the room that night and made sure the locket was there.

Close to midnight she'd decided that was exactly what she would do, so she whispered to Hermione she'd be right back, and crept through the dark house. She'd nearly made it to the room they were forbidden to go into when a light turned on and Sirius stood in a doorway, arms crossed. She silently cursed to herself as he walked over to her, taking her upper arm and leading her down to the kitchen without a word.

He waited until they were sitting at the table with a cup of tea in front of them before he questioned her. "What," he said, his voice low and demanding, "did you think you were doing? I specifically informed you four that you were to stay in your rooms at night, and to not go near that room. You broke my only two rules. I should send you straight back to Hogwarts."

"Please don't," Madison said quietly. She had chewed a sore into her cheek from nerves, and she decided to just come out with the truth. They'd already decided they probably would have to, anyway, considering they'd need his help to get into the Lestrange vault to get the cup.

When she'd finished speaking - having explained about time travel and horcruxes and trying to save Harry's life - Sirius was speechless. "You're going back to Hogwarts in the morning," he said finally, his voice cold, and Madison's heart sank as she realized he didn't believe her.

"Ask Kreacher," she said desperately, and his eyebrows very nearly disappeared. "He'll tell you."

"How will Kreacher know about anything?"

Madison sighed, and revealed what she hadn't wanted to previously - the real truth behind Regulus Black's death and the poor house elf that had suffered all these years trying to avenge it. The kitchen was completely silent when she stopped talking, Sirius staring at her open mouthed in shock.

"Kreacher," he croaked, and the house elf popped in front of them. He looked at Sirius with disdain, but the man didn't give him a chance to speak. "I want you to tell me about Regulus." The elf's entire demeanor changed. He looked as if he was about to burst into tears, but before he could, Sirius spoke again, impressing Madison when he struggled to keep his voice friendly. "Kreacher, I just want to know how he died. I've heard a story, and I just need to know if it was the truth."

So Kreacher told him - about going to the cave with the dark lord and Regulus, about the locket they placed in a basin, about how Kreacher was left to die but Regulus saved him. And then he told them about how he'd gone back with Regulus, alone.

"Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had, and he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets."

"And he drank the potion?" Sirius whispered, his face ashen. Kreacher nodded, his ears flapping.

"And he ordered Kreacher to leave without him. And he told Kreacher to go home and never to tell my mistress what he had done, but to destroy the first locket. And he drank all the potion, and Kreacher swapped the lockets - and watched as Master Regulus was dragged beneath the water - and - and-"

"That's enough," Sirius said, his voice sharp, but Madison could see the tears well in his eyes as the house elf burst into tears. There was a long pause, and Sirius spoke again, softer this time. "Kreacher, I need you to bring me the locket - the one Voldemort had. We have - Dumbledore has - a way to destroy it. And," he said, after yet another pause, "you can be the one to do it."

This promise sent the house elf into another fit of tears, and he quickly popped out, leaving Madison looking at Sirius in a different light. But she didn't have much of a chance to respond, for Kreacher popped back in a second later, the locket held tightly in his fist. He held it out to Sirius, who took it carefully.

"Master will - will really let Kreacher destroy it?" the house elf stammered, and Sirius locked eyes with him and nodded. Madison quickly stood up.

"I have a basilisk fang in my bag," she admitted, and Sirius raised his eyebrows at her. "I was prepared to find it," she explained. "I didn't anticipate telling you quite so soon, but -"

"We'll discuss everything else later," Sirius told her. "For now, let's get this thing destroyed." He pulled out his wand as Madison nearly skipped out of the room, creeping back into the room she and Hermione had been given. The other muggleborn was still awake, and eyed her critically as she rummaged through her bag.

"Sirius knows the truth," Madison told her. "We've got something to do right now, but I'll tell you everything when I get back." Hermione just nodded as Madison pulled out the box that contained the basilisk fang she'd snuck into her bag as they were planning to leave Hogwarts. She hadn't told even Percy or Theo her plan, worried they'd want her to wait.

She reached the kitchen again. Sirius and Kreacher were both seated at the table now, and upon seeing her, Sirius cast several charms on the room, spells Madison recognized would make the room soundproof, and also repel the others should they decide to come get a late night snack. The locket sat on the table, and Madison handed the box to the house elf, who took the basilisk fang out gingerly.

"Don't we need it opened?" Sirius wondered, looking up at Madison. "You said they'd opened it last time."

"They did," Madison said. She eyed the locket critically, curious if this would actually work. If not, they'd have to go wake up Harry and come up with some explanation. But she'd seen Theo's memory of when the group had gone down into the Chamber of Secrets, multiple times, enough times that hopefully, she'd memorized how to say the word "open" in parseltongue. She finally took the plunge and forced her mouth into the strange shapes. With a click, the locket opened.

Before she had a chance to even be surprised, a hazy figure rose out of the locket, one Madison didn't recognize. Judging by both Sirius and Kreacher's reactions, however, she realized it must be Regulus Black.

"You have failed me," the figure stated, his voice hissing around them. "Years after you let me die and you haven't done the one thing I asked of you. I died for your miserable life because I thought you could destroy it!"

"Master Regulus," the house elf squeaked, and Madison's heart felt constricted with pity. "Master Regulus, I tried!"

"You haven't!" The words echoed. "It was an easy task!"

"Kreacher!" Sirius's voice rose above the noise. "Kreacher, you haven't failed! You're doing what he wanted now! Regulus would be proud of you!"

The house elf turned to the master he'd always despised, tears streaking down his face. "Truly, Master Sirius?"

Sirius put his hands on each of the house elf's shoulders. "Truly." He looked Kreacher in the eyes. "I believe in you, and Regulus believed in you. It's time to do what you were charged with."

Kreacher turned back to the shadow figure. "Kreacher is going to destroy it now," he said, his voice shaking, and with a cry, he lunged forward and stabbed the locket into the center. With a screech and the sound of rushing wind, the shadow disappeared, leaving the three of them in a silent kitchen.

"Well," Sirius said, after a while. "That was certainly something." He picked up the mangled locket from the kitchen, eyeing it with disgust. He handed it to Kreacher, who accepted it with shaking hands. "This belongs to you. Keep it somewhere safe, yeah?" When Kreacher disappeared, Sirius looked at Madison. "You're an adult?" she nodded, confused, but this answer was seemingly what the older man needed, as he went to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey. "I'm not sharing with you," he told her, earning a short laugh. "But if you're really an adult I have no qualms about drinking in front of you. After that-" he gestured around the kitchen - "I need a few glasses." He poured a glass and drank it, slamming it on the table once it was empty, and pouring another.

"You know," Madison said, slowly sitting down at the table and glancing at the clock. It was nearing one in the morning. "From what I heard - before - you and Kreacher don't have a good relationship."

Sirius scoffed, taking another long drink. "You could say that. My parents hated me because I didn't agree with their views, so of course Kreacher hated me too." He paused. "I didn't give him much of a reason to like me, come to think of it."

"Maybe this time, you could have a second chance?" Madison ventured. Sirius gave her a calculating look.

"Maybe," He conceded, finishing off the second drink. "Now, adult or no, you're physically thirteen. Go to bed."

Despite the late night, Madison was still up before the others, and found herself in the Black family library, scanning the shelves. She'd promised Sirius before going to bed that they were looking for a way to destroy the horcrux in Harry without killing the boy himself, and he'd had the idea that there might be books in Grimmauld place with answers. It was an extensive library filled to the brim with books on the dark arts, after all. He'd advised her to be careful, however, and to attempt to keep the others out. "They don't have the benefit of having an adult mind," he'd said, and Madison had quickly agreed.

But she didn't have much time to explore before the others woke up; in fact, she didn't have much time alone at all before the weekend was over and they had to head back to Hogwarts. Sirius pulled Madison aside after the others had flooed through and promised that he'd go through the library as much as he could until Christmas, and that he'd make sure to invite the rest of them for a week during the holiday vacation. Not wanting to linger for too long, worried it'd lead to questions, she simply agreed and went through, arriving in Dumbledore's office no more than a minute and a half after the others had.

The month left before the holidays sped by. At first, Theo and Percy were angry she'd had the horcrux destroyed before discussing it with them, but after awhile they agreed that had been the best way to do it. "After all," Percy said, "the poor house elf spent, what, more than ten years hanging on to that thing, letting it corrupt his mind? That must have been awful for him."

Indeed, Sirius had started a secret correspondence with Madison, Percy, and Theo through Dumbledore, and he'd confessed Kreacher seemed lighter, as if a huge weight had been lifted from him. And there had been.

He'd also completely gone through the Black library, but unfortunately, there was nothing on Horcruxes and their destruction. He'd allow Madison and Theo to go through it themselves when they came for the holidays, he said, just in case he'd missed something, but they didn't expect to find anything.

Percy had confessed he was spending part of the Christmas break with Penelope, and that he planned on proposing to her Christmas day. "I'm not telling mum or the others," he warned. "Not yet. So once I do, please keep it quiet."

"Of course we will," Madison assured him.

The last weekend before the holidays was another Hogsmeade visit, marking Theo and Madison's second date.

As well as Ron and Hermione's.

This was a surprise to Madison the morning of, when Hermione, blushing, confessed Ron had asked her the night before. "Harry's going too, Mr. Bl- Sirius- signed his permission slip, but he said he'd be okay hanging out with Draco while Ron and I have an hour or two to ourselves."

"That was nice of him," Madison remarked, attempting to style her hair. The two of them were alone in the dorm for now, but she wasn't sure how long that would last, and she didn't want Pavarti or Lavender to decide to try and help her. She squinted at her reflection, before tearing the ponytail out and pulling her hair to the side and braiding it.

"Bit surprised, to be honest," Hermione said. "That Draco is willing, I mean. He'd said he would be going to Hogsmeade with Crabbe and Goyle, but then a few days ago he went to Harry and said he'd go with him instead."

Madison had finished her braid and turned to Hermione. "I don't think he's getting along with the other Slytherins very much lately," she told the other girl. "He has been hanging out with us a lot more, ever since his dad got Sirius the trial." They were quiet. "And," she added brightly, "he hasn't called anyone a mudblood in months."

He had slipped, towards the end of the school year last year, calling another student - not Madison or Hermione - a mudblood, but immediately after he'd said it, he'd gone pale and quickly apologized. Neither girl had held a grudge and had accepted it.

"Well," Hermione said finally. "I'm happy that he's seeing sense." She stood up from the bed, pulling a bag over her shoulder. "Let's go meet our boys, shall we?"

 **Review?**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

As it turned out, Draco and Harry didn't have to spend their time alone - Sirius met up with his god son halfway through the trip, while the group was meeting for lunch. He nodded to everyone in greeting, before going up and ordering them all butterbeers. Draco and Theo were the first to attempt to pay him back, but the older man refused to take their money.

"Lunch is on me," Sirius said simply, smiling broadly at the group. "So," he added, once the drinks had been passed out and food had been ordered, "who's coming to visit over the holidays?"

"Me," Hermione and Ron said together, before looking at each other and blushing. "Mum's already given the okay," Ron added, shrugging. "She seems happy Harry's got somewhere to go other than the Dursley's."

"Yes, I heard about them." Sirius's voice was cold when he spoke. "Rest assured, Harry, that Grimmauld place has as much protection as the Dursley's ever did. Perhaps more, come to think of it." He held the butterbeer glass in his hand, swirling the liquid around as he appeared lost in thought.

"Wasn't worried," Harry said with a grin. "Anywhere's better than the Dursleys, don't worry about that." He took a drink from his own glass. "You mentioned in your last letter Kreacher had a change of heart?"

Madison snorted, earning a puzzled glance from the boy who lived, but Sirius spoke before he could question it. "Yes. He seems to accept me as his master now. Whatever brought about the change of heart, who knows, but I am grateful for it."

Theo spoke up. "I'll be able to be there for a couple days," he said. "Rest of the holidays I'm going to be in Bulgaria with some family there." A thought hit Madison, and she nearly blurted it out - but then realized it was a bad idea with the present company. She nudged Theo's arm instead, and he stood. "Mads and I are heading down to Zonko's. Thanks for the butterbeer, Mr. Black." Madison stood as well, followed by Draco.

"Mind if I tag along?" the blonde asked. Madison and Theo exchanged a glance, and Theo shrugged.

"Sure," he said.

Following Zonko's, Draco parted with them, rejoining Harry, Ron and Hermione, while Madison and Theo went down to the shrieking shack.

"I find it odd," Madison commented, brushing a strand of hair out of her face that the cold wind had blown in.

"Find what odd?"

"Harry being friends with Draco." She caught Theo's eye, and the two of them burst into laughter, remembering the many arguments the pair had had before Draco had been taken down into the chamber. In both this timeline and the previous one, they'd been at each other's throats.

"It's a good change, I think," Theo said, smiling, as he reached over and took her hand. "Seeing Harry and Draco friends - it means that last year's events weren't too horrible."

"Except Colin," Madison mused, her smile leaving her face as she thought back to the eager first year who'd died too soon in two different timelines. The two of them sat in silence for a moment. "It's just strange, that's all," Madison said finally, focusing on the building in front of them. "I had a thought while in the Three Broomsticks," she added. "Viktor's going to be at Hogwarts next year. Have you all - well, is it going to be common knowledge who you really are, or is it still going to be secret?"

"I've talked with Viktor a bit about it," Theo said slowly, releasing her hand and leaning on the fence, facing her. "And - and our father." He paused again. "The reason they kept Viktor and not me -"

"You don't have to say," Madison said quickly. They'd not spoken about this in all the time that had passed, which had seemed to move too fast and yet too slow. "If you don't want to talk about it, that is."

"No, I do, I just don't exactly know how to phrase it." He took a deep breath. "There was a prophecy, a friend of the family made, about three weeks after Viktor was born. The family friend had told my - birth mum and dad that their second son was to die by age twelve."

Madison looked at him curiously. "But you didn't, either time," she reassured him. He looked at her grimly.

"What do you think happened to the minds of - of us - that were already here?" he whispered, and she could only stare at him, open mouthed. "Are they still in our heads - stuck there? Or did they just disappear? Either way, we essentially killed them, didn't we?"

Madison gulped, sinking down into the grass. Of all the problems she'd found with their time travel and everything that had happened since, the idea of their past selves being trapped or dead had never occurred to her. She was alive, and she was herself, but-

She shook her head quickly in an attempt to get the thoughts out. She was liable to run around in circles for days if she got started. "Well," she said finally. "What do they think now, now that you're - not dead?"

Theo shrugged, joining her on the grass. "They're relieved, I suppose," he said. He would've said more, but they looked over to see Sirius striding toward them. "Hello again, Mr. Black," Theo said instead, forcing his voice to be cheerful.

"Please, it's Sirius to you." He stood over them, a thoughtful look on his face. "I meant to ask - where was I?"

"I'm sorry?" Madison questioned, confused.

Sirius looked at her, his gaze steady. "I died, didn't I?"

"Yes." Theo didn't hold back, and he quietly explained how and why SIrius had died. The ex-prisoner listened intently, and when Theo was done speaking, he bid them a soft thank you before turning on his heel and leaving.

* * *

That last week before the break passed quickly, and soon enough the friends were on the train heading back to King's Cross, crammed into a train compartment and talking amongst themselves. Ron had just informed the group he had to go home first before going to Grimmauld Place - Percy apparently had asked the family to be there for dinner as he had something to say - when the compartment door slid open.

"Hey all," Draco said glumly, sinking into the seat next to Harry.

"What's up?"

"I've just been informed I'm not welcome in the Slytherin compartment, since I've been hanging out with blood traitors and mud- muggleborns." He amended himself quickly, his face flushing. "They've actually said I'm not welcome in Slytherin house, but I can't exactly be resorted, can I?"

"I wish," Madison said softly, but he didn't hear. Louder, she said, "It's been over a year since you've been hanging with us, hasn't it? Why now did they decide all that?"

"I went to Hogsmeade with you guys instead of the Slytherins, I suppose," Draco said. He shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I'll - well, maybe Dumbledore would let me sleep somewhere else or something."

"Sleep somewhere else?" Harry looked shocked. "Are they threatening you if you go back to the Slytherin dorms after the holidays?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Draco, you should go to Dumbledore!" Harry sounded furious. "They can't just keep you out of your own dorm! If you have to I'll - well, maybe you could sleep in ours, if the others don't have a problem with it."

"I don't," Theo said at once. "There'd be seven of us then, though, so we'd probably have to split up into separate dorms."

"Nev and Dean and Seamus could have one, and we could have another," Ron said, warming up to the idea.

"We'll go talk to Dumbledore first thing when we get back," Harry assured Draco. He quietly gave his thanks, his face still quite pink, and Madison could only look on in amazement.

When the train stopped and they all got off, they went their separate ways. Sirius was waiting for Harry, Hermione, and Madison, who were going straight to Grimmauld place. Ron joined his brothers near their parents. Madison was slightly surprised to see the elder two Weasley brothers as well, and she couldn't help but smile when thinking about how happy Percy'd been coming back from the Hogsmeade trip.

Theo's dad was waiting near Draco's, and the pair was joined by a dark haired man that had some resemblance to Theo, and Madison realized that must be Theo's birth father. Behind them was Viktor Krum.

Madison didn't get to see the brother's reunion, as Sirius rushed them off the platform upon seeing the elder Malfoy, and they took the Knight bus to the Leaky Cauldron, and from there a private floo to Grimmauld place.

Even in the few weeks it'd been since the night Kreacher destroyed the locket, the house had undergone a dramatic change. It was certainly cleaner, and brighter, and overall, happier. Kreacher greeted them in the living room and took their things, popping them away into their separate rooms.

Hermione and Madison were sharing a room again. When the others arrived, Ron would be sharing with Harry, while Draco and Theo would have a third room. "Minimize the amount of rooms we had to prepare," Sirius had joked.

It wasn't until later that Madison got the chance to get an update from Sirius. He'd started the process of claiming the Lestrange vault, but it could take weeks, perhaps months. "The Goblins don't want to hand it over, to be quite frank," Sirius told her, drinking in the kitchen while the others were asleep, a privacy charm on the door.

"We have about a year and a half," Madison said softly. "I'm not too worried about it. But - have you had any luck with the -"

"Horcrux in Harry?" Madison nodded, and Sirius took a deep drink. "It's a difficult situation. I've found references to horcruxes in several books here, but none of them mention what to do when the horcrux is in a person. Obviously, there's a sure way, but." They exchanged a dark glance. Harry's death wasn't an option here. "As you said, we've a year and a half. Maybe we'll figure it out?"

"Maybe." They sat in silence for awhile.

Madison had owled her father to ask about staying at Grimmauld Place instead of coming home for the holidays, and he'd okayed it; as long as she came home to have Christmas dinner with him and her Aunt Marie.

Aunt Marie would probably haunt her. This was the one death she'd known she couldn't change - there was no cure to cancer. She'd done research into dark spells, even, but there was nothing.

Her aunt didn't know about her being a witch, anyway, and so using magic to cure her would have been breaking wizarding law. If there'd been a way, however, she knew she would have done it.

Madison didn't want to go for Christmas. But she'd promised, and so Christmas dinner was a quiet one, her avoiding looking at Aunt Marie and the cap she was wearing on her head to cover the lack of hair. She had about three weeks to live, Madison knew. And there was nothing she could do.

 **A shorter chapter here, sorry guys. Review please ? I'm on my knees here!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

The letter came from her father two weeks into the new term; Aunt Marie had been hospitalized, and it didn't look like she would come home again. _There's no need for you to leave school,_ he'd added, as a note in the end. _She doesn't want you to see her this ill. Just do your best in school, and I'll write you if she_ \- there was a word crossed out here, as if he'd written something that he couldn't stand to see. _Passes. I love you._

She folded the letter and made her way out of the great hall, avoiding her friends. She'd never told Percy or Theo about her aunt while making their plans. There's really been no point, she'd felt, as there wasn't a cure. Her heart ached, and all she wanted was to be alone, so she skipped her classes and hid out in an empty classroom near Dumbledore's office, figuring none of her friends would look for her there.

The first half hour she spent using magic to demolish the desks and chairs and miscellaneous furniture before vanishing the remains, so that she was left with an empty room. She sat on the floor cross - legged, looking around her.

She began to conjure fresh furniture. In each corner there were groupings of four armchairs, each corner's armchairs representing the different houses. In the middle she conjured couches and tables, making them mismatched colors. She went to stand by the door, eyeing her handiwork, when the door opened and Dumbledore entered. He closed the door behind him and went to sit down on one of the maroon armchairs, and seemed to wait for her to join him. With a sigh, she did.

"I'm not going to scold you for skipping your lessons," he began, folding his hands together. "But I will question you as to why."

Madison chewed on her lip. "My aunt is dying," she confessed. "She's got cancer, and - and -" Her voice broke, and the tears fell. "I hate it," she said quietly. "This has been the worst thing about the whole - time travel stuff. Because I can't change it."

"No, I don't suppose you can." The headmaster looked at her, his eyes full of sorrow. "Perhaps a distraction would help?"

"That's what I've been doing." She gestured broadly around the room. "I wanted to use this as a common room for students of all houses. Slytherin's been criticized for long enough, don't you think?" Dumbledore eyed her warily. "Headmaster, I've seen what this war does to us. Surely you've realized it too? That we all need to stand together to fight him?" He looked thoughtful, and Madison kept going. "Obviously these specific things aren't permanent, but perhaps there's somewhere in the budget - or will donations or something - that we can get this set up?"

"I'll have to discuss it with the board-"

"Why?" Madison interrupted. "Have you actually discussed any of your decisions with them?" Her voice came out as cold as the look she received after her words. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, before he could speak. "But maybe this is something you could decide to do? To have Hogwarts take a step in the right direction?"

Dumbledore rose from his seat and took a look around the room. "Alright, Miss Reyes. If I can get funding, this room can be a universal common room." Madison felt a wave of relief sweep over her as the headmaster left. They'd meant to ask him ages ago, but with one thing and then another, the thought of a universal common room had slipped all of their minds.

At least one more thing was now in motion.

* * *

The letter from her father came at the end of the week, and she left the school without telling her friends. Dumbledore had promised he'd let them know about her aunt's passing and the circumstances surrounding it.

The funeral was small. Until now, Aunt Marie had been the only family Madison and her dad had left, and with her gone, it was just the two of them. Her will had already been read, and Madison wasn't surprised to learn her aunt's cabin - the very one she and Theo had stayed in that long year - was left to her for when she became of age. She gripped the key tight in her hand. She'd never been quite this grateful for her Aunt Marie before. The first time she'd sat in that little room and learned what she'd been given, she'd been too full of grief to understand.

Now she did. And while her aunt of course hadn't known about the war and what that house would mean for her, the simple fact was this gift had saved her life, and, if things went well, the wizarding world.

She went back to Hogwarts Sunday night, slipping into Gryffindor tower when all the other students were asleep. She even managed to get by Hermione too.

They cornered her at breakfast, however, with piles of sympathy. All she could manage was a wan smile, telling them all that she was fine and just wanted to concentrate on school. They dropped the subject, but later on in private, Percy and Theo expressed their deep sympathy, they knowing more than anyone the pain she was feeling.

"I'd really rather concentrate on something else," Madison told them, and Percy gave a short nod. "Any news?"

"I've told Penelope." Madison shot her head up, staring at him. They'd discussed him telling his girlfriend - fiancee - months ago, but he hadn't brought up the subject since, and she'd actually forgotten about it. "She - well, she took it well, I should say. She wanted me to prove it, but as there's really no way to do so, she may come up to one of you two."

"That's fine," Theo reassured him. "We'll tell her you were telling the truth." Though there hadn't been much reason to worry, Percy looked relieved.

"On to another subject." Percy tapped his fingers on the desk. "Has anyone thought of another way to attempt to rid Harry of the horcrux?"

"Stab him in the scar," Madison said helpfully. Percy shot her a look. "You didn't ask for good ideas."

"Perhaps if we had phoenix tears-" Theo began.

"No." Surprised, they looked to the door to see Sirius Black standing there, arms crossed.

'How did you know we were here?" Madison asked, looking around the room of requirement. "Even the Marauders Map-"

"Doesn't have this room I know, but an older version of it does," Sirius said calmly. "I was in charge of destroying our test versions, but of course I kept one." He shoved a piece of parchment into his pocket before striding over and sinking into the fourth chair that had appeared when he did. "Back to the subject at hand. No way in hell will we be stabbing Harry, even with phoenix tears. It's too risky."

"So's everything else," Madison pointed out. "Dementors, basilisk venom, fiendfyre, flat out murdering the kid - it's all we've got."

"I still vote for the dementor," Theo said helpfully. "Only problem with that is we don't know how to kill a dementor, so while it'd get the piece of Voldemort's soul out of Harry-"

"It wouldn't be destroyed," Madison finished, earning a nod.

"And that also runs the risk of the dementor taking Harry's soul, too," Percy added.

Sirius looked dejected. "You've really not figured this out yet in nearly three years?"

"I'd like to see you attempt this," Percy fumed. "We've done nonstop research since we got here and we can't find a solid answer. Considering we're trying to keep your godson alive. Otherwise we would've killed him and gotten that horcrux out of the way already."

"That's enough," Madson said sharply, before Sirius, angry, could interject. "Sirius. Have you had any luck with the goblins?"

"That's why I'm here actually." Sirius was struggling to keep his voice calm, Madison noted. "I've received a missive from Gringotts. The goblins are going to review my case end of January. I'll know more then."

"Great," Percy said cheerfully, rising. "See you lot later, I've got dinner with Penelope."

They waved goodbye and Percy left. When he was gone, Sirius leaned closer. "I don't want to tell you what to do," he said, his voice calm. "But if you kill my godson, I will kill you too. I survived Azkaban already, I can do it again."

"We can't promise that Harry won't be in danger," Theo said bluntly. "I like the kid. I do. I want him to live. But let's be honest here. If it comes to the point it's Harry or the wizarding world, the wizarding world comes first."

"And Harry would be the first to agree," Madison added. Sirius looked at them, appalled. "Harry's death would be tragic, and we're working hard to avoid that outcome. But he's a horcrux. That piece of you-know-who's soul has to come out so the monster can be killed. If you stand in the way of that, I'll obliviate you, or have someone else do it. Are we clear?"

There was a long silence before Sirius finally stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Theo and Madison staring at the door. "That went well," Theo said dryly. Madison could only nod mutely.

What they'd told Sirius apparently hit home, however, for during the next several weeks, Madison received many owls from him, all asking questions about the horcruxes, sometimes repeatedly. But the ex-convict was trying, Madison had to give him that, so all thoughts of obliviation left her mind.

As the time passed, their friend group became divided into couples. They were that age, of course, for first loves, and it seemed everyone was paired. Ron and Hermione, Theo and Madison, Percy and Penelope (whose engagement had made the Daily Prophet). Madison felt bad for leaving Harry and Draco out in the cold - especially since Draco wasn't all that welcome in the Slytherin dorms these days.

They'd asked Dumbledore if Draco could sleep in the Gryffindor dorms - Madison hadn't been there for that conversation - and Dumbledore had declined. It wasn't much of a surprise, honestly, but it still put Draco in an awkward position.

"Maybe some of them will come over to my way of thinking," Draco mused one weekend, while the group was in the library. "Not all of them agree with the idea of blood purity anyway." He looked up from his potions essay. "Zabini's already been asking questions, and of course Marcus - Flint, the quidditch captain, Madison-" He'd added this last part when Madison had given him a confused look. "-has said he agrees with me that we should accept people from all families, and there's really nothing wrong with muggles." He scoffed at the end of his sentence. "Look what you lot have done to me!"

The group laughed. They all knew if the chamber of secrets rescue hadn't happened, Draco would never have even sat with them, let alone come around to a different way of thinking.

The universal common room was breaking ground over the summer. Dumbledore had gotten funding from several people - Sirius being one of them - and it had been a hit idea. The headmaster had announced it at breakfast, and by breakfast the following day he'd received three dozen owls from family members who applauded his thinking. Of course, Dumbledore never revealed it hadn't been his original idea, but Madison would accept it, as long as it happened.

The end of the school year was nearing when Sirius finally got a verdict on the Lestrange vault - and it wasn't the one he'd wanted. He'd done an appeal, but that could take months too, and they weren't sure if they had the time to wait. You-Know-Who would be returning in a year, and while that normally would be plenty of time, they felt the goblins would drag it out as long as possible, and it was a high possibility if they waited for that, they'd run out of time.

"Let's just break into the bank," Percy said one April afternoon, the three of them gathered in the room of requirement. "We'll get the horcrux and get out. We could break into several highly guarded vaults, so it doesn't look like we're just hitting the Lestrange's."

"You want us to not break into one high security vault, but multiple?" Madison asked him incredulously. "How do you plan to pull that one off, exactly?"

"I don't know," Percy said heavily.

Pettigrew escaped out of Azkaban right on schedule, in the beginning of June. His escape sent the wizarding world into chaos, but there were no sightings of the rat, and the time travelers could only hope the spells would hold, and Pettigrew would go find the dark lord.

They were running out of time to get the horcrux out of Harry while saving his life.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

Sirius Black was angry. He'd spent the last several months arguing with the Gringotts goblins over getting into a vault that held one of Voldemort's horcruxes, and they'd been running circles around him. So here he was, the last day of June, demanding to see Albritt, the chieftain of this particular tribe of goblins.

In the time since his escape from Azkaban, the clearing of his name, and learning about the existence of horcruxes, the time had sped by him. When he'd found Madison upstairs outside the very room he'd told her not to go into, he'd been furious. This thirteen year old had disobeyed him the very first night she spent in his home. But then she'd begun talking, and talking, and somehow he found himself believing the tale she wove - of time travel and pieces of Voldemort's soul scattered around and one of those horrible pieces in his godson.

It seemed his life was unrecognizable. He never would have thought he'd be contemplating breaking into Gringotts. Hell, as a teenager he would never have believed he'd have to break out of Azkaban, that little Peter would betray them all (although his animagus form had been a rat, so perhaps it wasn't completely out of character).

His best friend had died, his girlfriend had died, his godson had been taken away from him by Dumbledore even before he'd been sentenced to prison.

When a side door opened and a goblin came forward, Sirius quickly stood up and made his way over, ignoring the fact that said goblin had a disgusted look on his face. They went into a back office, and Sirius sank into one of the chairs, despite the fact they were made for goblins and his knees were bent up to his chest.

"I am Albritt," The goblin stated in a clear voice, taking his own seat and folding his hands atop his desk. "I am told you wanted to speak with me."

"Yes." Sirius struggled to keep his own voice calm; it wouldn't do any good to become visibly angry. "I have been trying to get into a branch of the Black vaults, the one gifted to Bellatrix Lestrange upon her marriage."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, Mr. - Black, was it? - we cannot allow you into a vault that does not have your name on it. You know this, it has been our law for centuries. Only in extreme situations would it be allowed."

Sirius jiggled his leg a bit, wondering how his idea would go. Finally, he decided to bite the bullet, so to speak. "There is an object of interest in said vault," he declared, and he knew immediately he had the goblin's attention. "There is a goblin crafted item that has been corrupted by dark magic. All I want is the dark magic broken."

Albritt inhaled sharply. "You are aware," he began slowly, "that the presence of a cursed item in a Gringotts vault is punishable by closing the account and forfeiting all items held within. These confiscated items are then sold by auction to the highest - or first - bidder."

"I am," Sirius lied. Albritt watched him thoughtfully for a moment, then stood and left the room. Several minutes later, he reentered.

"We have found the cursed object," he declared, sitting back down and eyeing Sirius carefully. "A goblet that was created for one Helga Hufflepuff. However, we do not recognize the curse. If you can enlighten me, it is yours. For a fee."

His response shocked Sirius. He hadn't actually believed he'd get this far with the goblin chieftain. "You know of Lord Voldemort, I presume?"

The goblin made a disgusted noise. "We do not use false names here. He is Tom Riddle, and his vault is under that name."

"Yes, well..." Sirius was speechless for a minute. "He - split his soul."

There was a clatter as, in his surprise, Albrett knocked a stack of folders and a tin of ink off his desk. "You are saying this object is a horcrux," the goblin said, after regaining his composure. Sirius nodded. "Well. This changes things." He left the room again, leaving a befuddled Sirius behind. He wasn't left in suspense long; Albrett returned with a second goblin, one Sirius knew as Griphook. In Griphook's hand was Hufflepuff's cup. The goblin set it atop the desk and went to stand by the door. "Do you know why Gringotts goblins forbade cursed items?"

"No. Please, enlighten me," Sirius said calmly, not letting his eyes leave the cup sitting plainly on the desk, not wanting it to be out of his sight until the piece of soul in it was gone.

"It was because of these foul objects. Many, many years ago, the first Chieftain of Gringotts was making his rounds through the vaults, making sure that no thieves were locked inside, when he came across one of these - demented things. The soul inside belonged to such a dark wizard we no longer speak his name; in fact, his name was obliterated from all records. But the Chieftain - who was my many times over grandfather - did not know what it was, and touched it. He was instantly possessed, and went on to murder other goblins during what is now known as the Goblin Battles of 1492." Sirius could only gape at the goblin as he continued. "None of this is covered in wizarding history, of course. But after this event, we goblins gained control of the horcrux, and, through study and ritual, created a being that could destroy the soul within without destroying the goblin made container."

"A being?" Sirius stuttered.

"You know them. We called them dementors. They exist today, though their original purpose is unknown to all but us."

Sirius didn't quite know what to make of everything, but here was a chance, an opportunity they didn't know they'd have. He spoke again, with caution. "If there was a piece of a soul - a horcrux - in a living being, could the dementors remove the tainted portion?"

The goblin looked thoughtful. "I cannot say," he said finally. "There is the chance, of course, but the true way of controlling these creatures has been lost to time. I can, perhaps, take a look through records, but again, I cannot say for certain." Sirius felt his hope shrink. "Who possesses the bit of soul?"

"If I say, is he in danger?"

"No more than he already is," Albrett declared.

"My godson. Harry Potter." To his surprise, the goblin wasn't surprised.

"I had my suspicions," he informed Sirius. "From the very first time the boy stepped into Gringotts, I knew there was something off about him. I did not suspect he was a horcrux, of course, as I've never personally been around one until now." He looked over to Griphook, who nodded sharply and left the room. "You may leave this with me. I will have it sent over to Azkaban and disposed of as soon as possible."

"It has to be done by next June." His statement caused Albrett, who had risen and turned away, to look back in shock. "I can't say why," Sirius amended. "Just that there's a time table in which these things need to get done."

"I see." Albrett sat back down, tucking the cup away into a box he'd summoned seconds prior. "Out of curiosity, how many of Tom Riddle's horcuxes exist?"

"After that one," Sirius said, nodding towards the box, "I believe two remain."

"Remain?" Albrett was gobsmacked. "How many were there?"

"Seven in total." Sirius watched the goblin grow pale. "There has been a group of people finding and destroying them over the last three years, if that helps any."

"For a wizard to create one horcrux is horrendous, but seven?" Sirius had never seen a goblin this speechless. "I only wish you had come to Gringotts sooner. Where are the ones that remain?"

"One is in Harry, as I've said," Sirius explained. "And the other is - or will be, I'm quite unsure about that - in a snake known as Nagini."

"Nagini is no snake," the goblin declared, before rising. "Thank you, Mr. Black. I will be in touch if I find out any new information. I hope you will do the same." And then he was gone, leaving Sirius in utter confusion.

* * *

Madison had never been all that interested in Quidditch. The game moved too fast for her to process sometimes, and there were too many rules to learn, so she'd given up. So when she was invited to the Quidditch World Cup that summer, she nearly declined. Until she learned Theo had gotten tickets too, as his newly found brother was the star seeker on the Bulgarian team.

Her summer had been boring. Her dad hadn't been able to get any weekdays off for them to spend together, and with Aunt Marie gone there was no family for her to visit. He'd agreed to allow her to visit friends, but not until the last two weeks of August, and that was only because he knew he'd have to work on September first and couldn't take her to the station.

So Madison had spent her summer in the library, reading and rereading muggle novels and writing back and forth to her friends.

She learned Percy had informed his family he and Penelope would be wed the following summer, and he'd written Madison, telling her his mother had already planned half of the wedding. Of course, if things don't work out with our plans, we will have to push the wedding back. I haven't told mum, of course.

Theo was having a ball, traveling around various countries. He planned to be back in Britain for the world cup, but until then, he was in France, and Italy, and America, with his adopted father. The two had been working on their relationship since Theo had found the truth behind his birth, and it was slow going. But at least it's going, Theo had written. He's trying.

She sent an owl off to Harry for his birthday, with a small card. His gift would wait; he'd have a birthday party later on, he'd said, so all his friends could attend."

Draco was having a difficult time, judging by his letters. His father wasn't pleased that his heir was spending time with muggleborns. One he might have been fine with, but not the two. And of course he was seen with blood traitors too, like Ron and Theo. I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts. If you go to the World Cup, I may see you there; Father's got seats in the minister's box.

She ended up at Sirius and Harry's home early August, after her dad's work sent him out of the city for a week, and it was a very interesting conversation she and Sirius had after Harry had gone to bed her second night there.

The dementors of Azkaban had been on their list of possible ways to destroy the horcrux in Harry, and the confirmation that this had been their entire purpose came as a welcomed surprise. Sirius still hadn't received word from Albrett on if he'd discovered a way to do this safely, but, as Madison said, there was potential.

"Hopefully, if the goblins hate horcruxes as much as they seemed to, this will be their priority," Sirius said, as they sat at the kitchen table, Kreacher making them sandwiches at the counter. He delivered them to Madison and his master, before leaving the kitchen entirely.

"I never thought about dementors as having been created before," Madison mused, drinking her tea. "I guess I just thought they were always there, guarding Azkaban."

"Azkaban didn't always exist," Sirius told her. Madison scoffed; of course she'd known that. "Actually, the Ministry didn't find it or the dementors until the fifteen hundreds. We've - wizards, that is - have always thought the man who owned the island, Ekrizdis, had done experiments that led to their existence."

Madison was curious. "How do you know all this?"

When his face grew dark, she knew she'd asked the wrong question, but before she could take it back, he answered. "After my name was cleared, while I was in the hospital, I asked my healers to bring me any book they could find about Azkaban. I'm not much of a reader, but I went through them as fast as I could. Ekrizdis was mentioned several times."

"Oh," Madison said softly, as Sirius downed his glass and stood up.

"I'm going to bed now," he declared. "I suggest you do the same. Harry's birthday party is tomorrow." And he was off. It wasn't until she was alone that Madison remembered the parting words of the goblin, and wondered what they could mean.

 **Review?**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

When the rest of the group came for Harry's party, Madison was relieved to see Theo and Percy again. They hadn't written much, other than casual letters, afraid of them falling in the wrong hands. They didn't get much time to spend alone, however, as the rest of the Weasleys were there too. Madison would always find it jarring to see Molly with her red hair; it'd gone white quickly while the war raged.

Even Draco showed up; he admitted to them later that he'd agreed to attend the Malfoy annual Christmas party with one of the Greengrass girls. He'd made quite a face at that, and Madison remembered the rumors that he'd been betrothed to the younger Greengrass girl, Astoria, she thought her name was. But she said nothing, of course.

She said nothing, even when Theo pulled her aside and whispered a secret into her ear, a secret Madison was shocked to hear. She could only stare open mouthed at her boyfriend.

"You're lying," she managed finally, but Theo shook his head.

"He wanted to know how it was... perceived... in the wizarding world, and how Draco might take it if he - confessed."

They were interrupted then by Ron, who came into the kitchen. He saw the two standing by the table and backed away slowly, apologizing for barging in. When he'd gone, Madison couldn't help the laughter that slipped out.

"Poor Ron," Theo said, laughing too. "Wonder what he thinks we were doing in here?"

"Probably snogging," Madison said, grinning.

"Well, let's prove him right, shall we?" Theo leaned forward, and had just pressed his lips to hers when the door swung open again.

"Oi," Draco complained. "Some of us don't want to see that!"

Madison rolled her eyes, but she left the kitchen, tugging Theo after her.

They couldn't be alone in the living room, either, so they gave up, sinking on the couch together while the mess of Weasleys talked around them.

Surrounded by the Weasleys, Madison's mood was somewhat brought down as she watched them. So many had died, but this one family had been torn apart more than most, just because there were more of them.

She felt Theo squeeze her hand, and she realized her mood was obvious. She tried to be more upbeat, for she knew Harry hadn't had a birthday party before in this timeline, and he was fourteen and deserved it.

When Kreacher brought out the cake, everyone cheered and sang happy birthday, and then Harry opened presents. Madison had given him a miniature quidditch pitch, complete with plastic players. She'd found it in one of the few pawn shops the wizarding world had, for less than a galleon. She'd hoped Harry wouldn't mind that it was used, but the boy didn't even seem to notice.

Hermione had bought him a book, of course, to nobody's surprise. The topic was a bit surprising, however, was the topic - Defense Today. Harry thanked her, happy to be getting anything, but Madison caught Hermione's eye. They knew what was coming, knew he'd need to learn more defense then currently had been taught at Hogwarts.

The Weasleys didn't have a lot of money, of course, so Molly had baked the cake for the party, as well as the rest of the food. Percy, who'd started working at the ministry (his first job from the original timeline, he'd told Madison and Theo bitterly), had gifted him a set of quidditch gear. Of course, the boy wouldn't get the chance to use them in the upcoming year, but Percy had made sure they were a size up for when Harry grew.

But the best gift, Madison was sure, came from Sirius, who gifted him a small envelope containing a ticket to the Quidditch World Cup. The boy could only gape at it for awhile, shock clear on his face. This was made better when Sirius told him he'd bought Madison and Hermione tickets as well, while the Weasleys and Theo got tickets elsewhere.

The rest of the party flew by, and slowly the guests left. Madison stayed, of course, as did Theo and Percy. The three of them gathered in Madison's room after Sirius and Harry had gone to bed, and Madison let them know what Sirius had learned.

"Damn," Theo said, with a low whistle. "Goblins created the dementors? I wonder how."

"Magic, I assume," Percy said seriously, and they all laughed. "Now, if only we knew how to control them," he added. "It would be the ideal way to destroy Harry's horcrux."

Madison and Theo agreed. "Hopefully the goblins will get back to us. Sirius said they hate horcruxes just as much as we do. Perhaps more."

Theo could only shake his head. "I just - they've known about horcruxes for hundreds of years. I wonder how many dark wizards ended up being taken down by the goblins without wizards knowing? Just think of how we treat them."

"They have next to no rights," Madison mused, "I wonder if that's something we could change."

"I think that would take more than us," Percy commented. "There's centuries of mutual disdain between wizards and goblins."

Madison sighed, picking up her cup of tea and taking a small sip. "I suppose that's true."

They went to bed soon after, and in the morning Sirius announced he was going to Gringotts, and that Percy as the eldest was in charge.

"Can't we go with you?" Harry asked, but Sirius shook his head.

"Not today. I have some business to take care of with the goblins, so it could take several hours. Stay in the house. I'll be back when I can."

It was late afternoon when Sirius returned, tired and angry looking. Kreacher made dinner, to which they sat and ate in silence, before Sirius went off to his room and shut his door.

Harry could only look at his friends in confusion. "What's that about, I wonder?" Madison shrugged, putting her plate in the sink.

"Who knows," she said, but she had a suspicion. Unfortunately, Ron would be arriving shortly to stay over, along with Hermione, and she knew the time travelers wouldn't get much of a chance to talk to Sirius for awhile.

And she was right. Once Ron and Hermione came, Percy had to leave for work, and their time was monopolized by the others. The week before the World Cup passed slowly, but it passed, and before Madison knew it, it was time for them to head to the campground.

"Now," Sirius was saying, when Madison left the bathroom and joined the others in the living room. "We'll be taking a portkey. I know some of you-" He eyed Hermione, Madison, and Harry, "-will not have traveled by portkey before. It's easy, really. Hold on to this-" he held up a punctured football, "- and don't let go, especially when we're traveling. If you do, there's no telling where you'll end up. I'd prefer to apparate, but there's just too many of us. Theo, you're meeting your brother at the campsite, correct?"

Theo nodded. "Yeah. He's got a tent set up for me already on the Bulgarian side."

"I didn't know you have a brother," Harry said in surprise. Theo nodded curtly.

"I was adopted and recently found my birth family. Viktor Krum's my brother, he's-"

"The Bulgarian seeker," Ron gaped, staring at Theo. Again, he nodded.

"Right," Sirius interrupted. "Everyone ready?"

They gathered around and each took hold of the portkey. A moment later they were jerked away from Grimmauld place and landed quite heavily onto the ground.

Hermione scrambled to her feet, breathing hard. "That was-"

"Fun?" Madison suggested, earning a small laugh from the other muggleborn. Sirius shot them a grin, and walked over to a man standing nearby with a clipboard.

"Ello there. Name's Black, Krum, and Weasley."

The man's eyebrows shot up as he examined the group. "Krum you say? I'll need proof o' that," he said calmly. Theo dug in his pocket for his ticket and handed it over to the man, who examined it carefully, then scanned it with his wand. "Rightio, that's that." He handed it back to Theo. "Weasley, Black, you're both in first field, quarter mile walk that way. Krum's in the third field. Got that?"

"Yes sir," Sirius said, saluting the man. "Come on kids. I'll drop you all off."

They dropped Theo off first. Much to Ron's disappointment Viktor was not there, and so they continued off to drop Ron with the rest of the Weasleys, before coming to their own tent.

"Hermione, Madison, you're staying in this tent," he said, nodding to the greyish tent on the left. "Harry, you're with me, of course."

Once they got settled in, Sirius let them know they could explore, so the three of them went off, meeting Ron and Ginny along the way, as they'd been sent off for some water.

"Have you seen some of these tents?" Ron questioned, gesturing broadly around them. "People are ridiculous."

"They really are," Hermione agreed, slipping her hand into Ron's as they continued to walk. They'd passed several tents that were definitely out there, such as the one Madison believed to be Draco's family's, complete with peacocks tied down outside.

It was outrageous, actually, Madison found, how many of these witches and wizards didn't know how to act muggle enough to avoid suspicion. WIth chimneys added to their tents - among other things - they stood out. And from what Ron told them grimly, the obliviation squad were working overtime to keep the muggles that ran the campground from knowing too much.

"It's a shame," Madison whispered, shaking her head, as they watched two little girls go by them on brooms three feet off the ground.

Having collected the water, they made their way back, waving goodbye to the Weasley's, where Arthur Weasley was attempting to start a fire with matches. Hermione patiently took the box from him and started the fire for him, before they went on their way.

"I've never been around so many wizards," Harry commented, when they were close to their tents. "I didn't even know there were other schools then Hogwarts. Although I guess I should've," he added sheepishly.

"I looked them up when Madison told me Colin Creevey's brother wasn't coming to Hogwarts," Hermione said, and Madison felt the pang of guilt she'd attempted to bury. "There's the three big ones in Europe, Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. And in America there's two, Salem's Witch Institute, and Ilvermorney." She paused. "Those are the biggest ones, anyway. I think Africa has a lot of little small ones. India's mostly self taught, passing on the heritage through the families."

"It's fascinating," Madison said. "All the different cultures, and how the knowledge is passed around differently. I heard in Germany, the unforgivables weren't illegal for years until the wars with Grindelwald and Hitler."

"Hitler was a wizard?" Harry asked startled.

"No," Hermione said quickly. "But Grindelwald's forces were as much a part of the war as the Nazis. They worked together. It wasn't just jews and such in the concentration camps, Alcatraz was one of the biggest concentration camps, and it had the highest number of magical people in it."

"How do you know that?" Harry questioned.

Hermione shot him a look. "I pay attention in History of Magic."

"Binns is boring!" Despite protesting, Harry had a grin on his face as he joked around with his friends, and Madison couldn't help the second pang of guilt. He only had these few hours before the fear would begin again in the wizarding world, and there wasn't anything she could do about it now. Things had progressed too quickly to change them now.

The only positive thing was the fact most of the horcruxes were destroyed. Without them, you-know-who could die, and hopefully he would die quickly. They (Madison, Theo, Percy, and Sirius, that is) had started their final preparations for his defeat.

They'd also discussed when to tell Harry. He'd have to know, and whatever they decided to do to kill the horcrux in him, they needed his consent, and needed him to understand the risk.

For now, he could be a kid. For now, he could enjoy the Quidditch World Cup.

 **Review? Pretty please? On my knees here!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five

It was pouring by the time the train pulled up to the station, and Madison looked out the window with a sigh. "That'll be fun to get through," she commented to the others in the compartment, and they all agreed in varying tones.

It had been a short ride from King's Cross to Hogsmeade, at least as far as Madison was concerned. They'd spent the journey discussing what had happened at the Quidditch World Cup after they'd all left (well, Theo had stayed, not having an excuse to leave before the "fun" began). Madison still didn't know how Sirius had convinced Arthur and the others to leave after the match had ended, but she was relieved. Though nobody had been killed the first time, she hadn't wanted anyone at risk. Percy and Theo had adamantly agreed.

As they trudged through the water heading up to the castle, attempting to avoid Peeves in the entrance hall, who was using the chaos to drop water balloons on incoming students, Madison couldn't help but think this could be the last normal start to the school year. Well, not that any of the school years thus far had been normal.

Their group reached the great hall without anyone falling (Hermione was slightly bruised, as McGonagall had grabbed her to keep from falling herself), and separated into their house tables. Harry and Draco waved goodbye, and Madison couldn't help the snort that escaped her. Before Harry or any of the others could question her, she brought up the empty seat at the head's table.

"It must be the new Defense professor," Hermione stated anxiously. "Maybe they couldn't get anyone!"

"They've got to have someone," Theo reassured her, scanning the head's table himself before looking back at Madison. They'd been slightly disappointed over the summer when it had come out about Professor Lupin's lycanthropy, and he had resigned amidst numerous protests. Dumbledore had just a few short weeks to get a new professor, and most of the school was wondering who he'd gotten. Of course, both Madison and Theo were expecting to see Barty Crouch (disguised as Moody) but they hadn't told their friends this.

"Why won't they hurry up?" Ron grumbled from beside Hermione. "I could eat a hippogriff!" The words had barely left his lips when the double doors opened and McGonagall entered, leading the first years in. Madison felt a pang as she watched them, recalling little Dennis Creevey who would be starting school at Beauxbatons that year, instead of Hogwarts, where he should have been.

Madison found herself scanning the other students as the sorting hat began its song, realizing she didn't know any of their names, didn't know what their fates had been. Surely whatever happened now would be better than before? At least, she hoped.

When the new students had all been sorted, and the feast began, Madison brought herself back to the present, digging in, hesitating slightly when Nearly Headless Nick spoke up.

"There's house elves here at Hogwarts?" Hermione's voice was shrill, making everyone around her wince.

"Certainly," Nearly Headless Nick said calmly. "The largest number in any dwelling in Britain. Over a hundred, I believe."

"Well, I've never seen one!"

"You wouldn't, would you?" Theo said, through a mouthful of potato. "It's a mark of a good house elf, that you don't know they're there." Hermione looked angry, and Madison suddenly recalled her house elf protests of the years before.

"Hermione, most house elves are treated fairly. They aren't all like Dobby. Freedom is a horrible concept to them," she tried, but Hermione only glared at her.

"But they get paid, don't they? Holidays, and - and - sick leave?"

Theo snorted, sending bits of potato over his plate. Madison made a face at him, and he hurriedly cleaned it up. "House elves don't want pay and sick leave and holidays, Hermione."

Hermione pushed her plate away from her, and Madison rolled her eyes. "Hermione, you're being a bit ridiculous. House elves like serving us. It's all they know. And you aren't going to get anywhere starving yourself!" Hermione crossed her arms, and Madison tried again. "Just don't try to free them. Okay? You can't, anyway. Only the person that actually employs them can, and that'd be Dumbledore."

Despite Hermione pouting for the rest of the meal, the rest of them enjoyed it, quietly discussing what they were expecting for the coming year. Harry was talking about Quidditch, and Madison didn't have the heart to tell him there would be no quidditch that year. He'd find out soon enough.

"I'm gonna try out for keeper," Ron was saying, as Dumbledore stood up.

"So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it." He passed, scanning the room. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

His announcement was met with several incredulous looks, and Madison had to refrain from laughing at the shell shocked looks on both Ron and Harry's faces. Of course, Dumbledore wasn't done.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But he didn't get to finish, for that very moment the double doors swung open and Madison caught her first glimpse of Barty Crouch Jr. Not for the first time it amazed her that Dumbledore, who had supposedly been one of Moody's good friends, hadn't noticed something was up. She glanced around the hall, taking note of the curious faces around her. Then she went back, watching as Crouch limped up to Dumbledore, greeted him, then took his seat.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, gaining the hall's attention once more. "May I introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor Moody?" Due to the staff and students being in shock by his dramatic entrance, only Dumbledore and Hagrid clapped, and even they quit quickly. "As I was saying," Dumbledore said, going right back into it. "We are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

His announcement was met with just as much shock, if not more, as the Quidditch announcement had. Most of the hall looked excited, but it was only Madison and Theo that exchanged nervous glances. They knew what was to come, and it wasn't good.

As he went on to explain what the tournament would intel, Madison linked hands with Theo.

This was it. The final stretch.

* * *

Their first lessons in the morning sped by. Herbology they had to deal with bubotubers and their pus, and Care of Magical Creatures brought the Blast Ended Skrewts. Madison found herself having trouble concentrating. All she could think of was Crouch, in the castle, there to rip Harry away from them and bring the dark lord back.

Theo noticed her distraction, and pulled her aside before dinner. The others shot them grins, no doubt thinking they were going off somewhere to make out. But when Theo pulled her into an empty classroom, Madison burst into tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Theo questioned her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm just so tired," she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder. "I can't - what if we fail? We failed Colin-"

"We aren't going to fail," Theo told her firmly. "It's not going to happen, okay? Have faith."

She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the hall. They exchanged a glance and hurried out of the room, resisting the urge to pull out their wands.

Moody stood in the middle of the hall, wand raised, a little white ferret bouncing off the tiles. Madison gasped, grabbing Theo's arm, as the pair scanned the hall for their friends. There was no sign of Draco, and the sight of an angry Harry confirmed what they were thinking. "I'll be right back," Madison hissed to Theo, her tears forgotten, and she slipped through the crowd until she spotted McGonagall heading in her direction. "Professor!" She called out, and the transfiguration teacher paused.

"Yes, Miss Reyes?"

"It's Professor Moody. He's cursed a student, turned him into a ferret."

McGonagall paled, and rushed in the direction of the crowd, leaving the books she'd dropped behind. "Professor Moody!" Her clear voice rang through the hall.

"Hello Professor McGonagall." Madison felt a bit of disgust in her stomach at the calmness in his voice.

"Is that a student?" McGonagall's voice was calm too, but Madison - and anyone paying attention - could see the fury in her eyes.

"Yep."

McGonagall took her wand out and reversed the spell, leaving Draco laying on the ground on his side. "Mr. Potter, please take Mr. Malfoy down to the hospital wing," she snapped in their direction. Harry nodded quickly, and Madison and Theo quickly joined them on the way to the hospital wing, McGonagall's screaming slowly fading behind them.

"Draco, are you okay?" Madison asked him gently. The blond shrugged, wincing, and Madison bit her lip, seeing the pain he was trying so hard to hide. She moved the conversation away. "What did you think of the blast ended skrewts?"

And so they talked about Care of Magical Creatures for the rest of the trip to the hospital wing, stopping when they entered. Pomfrey shooed the rest of them away, and Harry angrily kicked the wall when they were out of view from the school nurse.

"What happened?" Madison said quietly. She knew Draco wouldn't have tried to curse Harry this time around.

"Moody saw Draco with his wand out, pointed at me. He was just trying to fix my bag, but Moody didn't even ask any questions." Harry was definitely livid. "I'm writing Sirius about this, and talking to Dumbledore. There was no reason for Moody to attack Draco! Not like that, even if he was going to curse me!" He ended his sentence with another kick at the wall.

"I'll come with you." Hermione had appeared, Ron by her side. "Sorry, we couldn't get through the crowd. How's Draco?"

"I don't know, Pomfrey kicked us out," Theo told her, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. He shook his head. "I can't believe Moody would attack a student like that, for no reason."

"He seems ... a bit unhinged," Hermione said slowly. "Don't they call him 'Mad-Eye?'"

"Well yeah, but he's brilliant, according to Dad," Ron said. Harry shot him a look. "What? I'm just saying what Dad says. Moody used to be a really good auror, like he took down a lot of death eaters." Ron's voice sounded impressed, earning a glare from his best friend. "C'mon. First year we would have been laughing about this!"

"Well, we aren't now," Harry snapped, pulling away from the wall and storming away. Ron watched him go, confused, before turning to Hermione.

"Can't you tell, Ron?" she asked him, exasperated.

"Tell what?"

"They're a thing," Theo said.

"Who?"

Madison snorted. "Harry and Draco, idiot!"

Ron didn't look any less confused. "Since when? And how come you all know?"

The girls exchanged a look, grinning. "Because we have eyes, Ron," Hermione said, before bursting into laughter at her boyfriend's shocked face.

 **So, not that anyone particularly cares, but this weekend made one year since I started this story!**

 **As always, review?**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

Madison had to prepare herself for the Defense lesson on Thursday. Even as she walked into the classroom she wasn't entirely sure she was ready and able to cope with watching the unforgivables. Taking a deep breath she sank into the seat next to Theo, who gently placed his hand over hers, moving it away quickly when Moody/Crouch stormed into the room.

"You can put your books away, you won't need them," Crouch stated, his voice a low growl as he limped over to the desk and sat down. Crouch called roll, letting the magical eye swing around the room and find each individual person. "Right then," he said, tucking the list into a drawer and focusing both eyes on the students. "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class." As Crouch spoke, going over what they knew and didn't know, Madison let her own eyes drift to Crouch's - really Moody's - wand. She'd wondered over the summer if there would be a way they could get it away from him right before the fourth task, or at least during it, but she shook the thoughts away as Ron spoke loudly behind her, making her jump.

"You aren't staying?" the redhead was protesting, and a glance toward where Harry and Draco were sitting told her they, at least, thought that was a good thing.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Crouch said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago. Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore. One year, and then back to my quiet retirement." He let out a laugh, before diving into the subject of the lesson- dark curses.

Madison handled the Imperius Curse quite well, she thought, though she was sure the nail imprints in her hand would not go away for some time. But when Neville raised a shaking hand and told the class of the curse that had made him no better than an orphan, the curse that once had him drooling and out of his mind right next to his parents, she squeezed her eyes shut and pretended she was anywhere but that room.

Unfortunately, her mind was no longer in the room, going back to a field covered in bodies and blood, and a single voice rising above it all, screaming in pain -

Madison wasn't quite aware of her chair falling to the ground behind her as she raced out of the classroom, the door barely shut when she started to vomit onto the stone ground, her mind going through that awful day over and over, like a movie on repeat - Bellatrix laughing, laughing, as she tortured Neville, as Harry's body lay mere feet away, as -

"Miss Reyes?" McGonagall's voice broke into her mind, and she took several shuddering breaths as she looked up at the professor, tears streaming down her face. "Are you alright?"

A sob escaped her as she shook her head eyed the mess on the floor. A quick scourgify later, she was leading Madison away, in the direction of the hospital wing. They'd made it to the end of the hall when the classroom door opened and Neville rushed out, his own face pale and sweaty.

"Mr. Longbottom?" McGonagall looked between the two students, both clearly having a strong reaction. "What in the heavens is going on in there?"

"He's using the unforgivables," Hermione said, her voice sharp. Madison hadn't even seen her come out behind Neville. "Professor Moody is, I mean."

"On what?"

"Spiders," Madison managed as she took another step, her legs feeling weak. "It's just spiders, but - all those people-" Her sentence broke off as she sobbed heavily again, a hand covering her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Miss Granger, please escort Miss Reyes and Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing for a calming drought." With those final words, McGonagall turned on her heel, marching toward the Defense classroom.

Madame Pomfrey gave them the calming droughts before sending Hermione on her way. Madison and Neville sat on opposite beds, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Neville spoke.

"I never knew them, you know? My parents." Madison looked up at him as he sighed, shifting on the mattress. "I was just a baby when - when they were hurt." Madison didn't know what to say as he went on. "My dad... He's worse off then mum is. I talked to their healer last summer. Do you know what that means?" She mutely shook her head. "It means he was under it more then mum. When they - when the aurors got to the house, they were laying next to each other."

"I'm so sorry," Madison whispered, and Neville shrugged, fidgeting with the sheets, twisting it into a knot in his fist.

"I always wanted to make them proud. Gran's said they were really good aurors, that the only reason Bellatrix Lestrange and the others got the drop on them was they didn't have their wands on them. If they'd had their wands - " He broke off, sighing. "Seeing the spell today, seeing it in use, I mean..." When he looked back up at Madison, tears were shining in his eyes. "How could Professor Dumbledore have given him permission?"

"I don't know." Madison couldn't quite look him in the face.

"Thank you, though."

Madison looked up at him, confused. "For what?"

"Walking out. I - I wanted to, but I wouldn't have been brave enough if you hadn't left first."

"Oh," Madison said quietly. They sat quietly for the next half hour, before the bell rang for dinner. As they went to leave, Madison turned to him. "If you wanted - you could say you left to see if I was okay." Neville smiled at her thankfully as they joined the crowd heading to the Great Hall.

"Some lesson," Ron was saying, as they joined him at the Gryffindor table. "Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right -"

"Ron," Madison said sharply, and his sentence trailed off. "I don't think it was that great of a lesson, and I'm not sure Neville or Harry think it was, either."

"Besides, I'm sure Moody and Dumbledore are going to get in a lot of trouble if the ministry finds out he showed us the curses," Hermione said, her own voice soft as she looked over at Neville, who was absentmindedly picking at his food. "It was horrible." She pushed her own plate and stood up. "I'm going to the library. See you guys later."

She took off, and Neville soon followed, though Madison doubted he was going to the library.

"How are you doing?" Theo asked her quietly, and she just shrugged, setting her fork down. She stood up. "Where are you headed?"

"Just - I don't know. I'm sorry." And she took off.

* * *

Madison tried not to think about Neville's face, then and now, tried not to hear the pain in his voice. She'd managed to settle down - right around the same time Crouch announced he'd gotten permission to use the imperius curse on them.

Part of her had hoped Dumbledore would put a stop on it, knowing what he did, but clearly luck had not been on her side. And so she found herself frozen in her seat as Hermione protested.

"But - but you said it's illegal, Professor," she was saying, as Crouch moved the desks away from the center of the classroom. "You said - to use it against another human was -

"Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," Crouch snapped at her. "If you'd rather learn the hard way - when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely - fine by me. You're excused. Off you go." He pointed to the door.

Even Madison couldn't quite bring herself to stand up and leave the lesson, even as her fellow classmates were put under the spell and made to do the most insane things. Though others laughed as Dean Thomas hopped around the room, Madison watched with narrowed eyes, heart racing in her chest.

"Potter, you next," Crouch said after Neville walked, shaking, to his seat. Madison watched as Harry nervously walked up to the defense professor. She had to turn her head as Crouch lifted his wand.

The lesson ended nearly an hour later, with poor Harry limping out of the classroom. "The way he talks, you'd think we were all going to be attacked any second."

"Yeah, I know," muttered Madison, glancing back at Crouch standing by the classroom door.

"Talk about paranoid," Ron said, with a shake of his head. "No wonder they were glad to get shot of him at the Ministry. Did you hear him telling Seamus what he did to that witch who shouted 'Boo' behind him on April Fools' Day? And when are we supposed to read up on resisting the Imperius Curse with everything else we've got to do?"

Madison shook her own head as they reached the transfiguration classroom. "I'd rather read up on it than be put under it. I don't see how that would help build a tolerance, or whatever."

Soon enough, it was a nearly Halloween, and the announcement that the delegations from the other schools would be arriving went up in the entrance hall.

"You know, I forgot this means Viktor's coming," Madison said over breakfast the morning of October 30th, the day they were all to arrive. "He'll be with the Durmstrang students, won't he?" She directed her question towards Theo, who paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth. He set it down quickly in his bowl.

"You know, I hadn't thought about that," he mused. "I should write him, offer to let him sit with us during dinner."

"You should," Ron, who hadn't quite gotten over his star struck attitude when it came to the quidditch player, said instantly. "He can sit by me."

Hermione laughed. "I think he'd rather sit by his brother than you, Ron." Ron pouted, but couldn't hide his excited grin.

His grin vanished as Fred and George sank into seats near them, complaining about - someone? "If he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forever," George was saying.

"Who's avoiding you?" Theo asked curiously, but the twins just shook their heads, and Harry quickly changed the subject as Draco came over to join them.

"Have you had any ideas on how to enter the tournament?" The twins exchanged a gloomy look.

"McGonagall won't even tell us how the champians are chosen," Fred told them with a sigh. "Says it's some kind of surprise."

"She told you to shut up and transfigure your raccoon," George corrected him.

Ron let out a wistful sigh. "I wonder what it would be like to be chosen, yeah? Fame and glory and all that."

"I think we've all had enough events for a lifetime," Madison said quickly, thinking of his jealousy when Harry's name had come out of the goblet. "I don't think any of us should enter this contest."

"She's right," Hermione said. "It's dangerous. There were deaths last time they had the triwizard tournament."

"I sure don't want to do it," Harry said. "I have enough fame and glory, don't you think?" Draco nodded, covering Harry's hand with his. Madison quickly looked away, catching Seamus Finnaginn's interested look. He saw Madison eyeing him, and quickly looked away from Harry and Draco.

"Well, I think it'll be exciting to watch," Draco piped up. "I wonder what dangerous tasks the champions will face?"

"There should be dragons," Theo said seriously, but the rest of the group shook their heads.

"I don't think even Dumbledore would allow another dragon onto the grounds," Harry said firmly, and Madison resisted the urge to giggle as she finished up her breakfast.

"I'll be in the library if anyone needs me," she stated, standing.

"I'll come with you," Theo said, dropping his spoon and standing. They waved goodbye to the others and took off, laughing to themselves.

 **Please, pretty please review?**


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